You are the Moon
by Sukiya62
Summary: Kagome is studying in the medical program at Osaka University. She's found the perfect apartment to stay in, but as a struggling, strung out med student, she can't afford it on her own. Needing an extra hand in rent, she puts out an ad for a roommate, and Kouga answers the call. {KouKag} (Modern AU) (Strangers to Friends to Lovers) (Slow Burn?)
1. Chapter One: The Ad

Here I am, back at it again. This time with Inuyasha.

(but suki, shouldn't you work on your other fics?) Yes, I should. Will I? Eventually... But hey! With this one, I waited until I had a nice stock of chapters before I uploaded so... there's that!

Anyways, I hope you enjoy! This is my first time writing anything (successfully) for Inuyasha. (I tried to participate on KogKag week but it didn't work out cause I was majorly blocked and school got in the way, haha) Rip me a new one in the comments if ya gotta, lol. I need the criticism so I can improve.

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Kagome let out a sigh and ran a hand through her hair. She was currently seated in a coffee shop, not too far from her school and checking her phone. She was waiting to meet with a potential roommate, and he was running late. Well, he wasn't actually; Kagome had just been waiting for a while as she had gotten there super early. Her class had been canceled so she had a lot of time to just sit around and wait. She tapped idly on the table with her fingers, placing her chin on her open palm and looking out the window.

For the past couple of years, Kagome had been staying with her friends Sango and Miroku. However, the two had recently gotten engaged, and she felt as if she had overstayed her welcome. She didn't want to intrude on their time together before their marriage, so she thought it would be best to finally move out and get a place of her own. But that was proving to be a bit difficult. Kagome found the perfect place, but she would never be able to afford it on her own. So, with the help (and convincing) of Sango, she put out an ad for a roommate. And now here she was, nursing a frappuccino with 3 shots of espresso and waiting for the man who had answered her ad.

After staring out the window for a few moments, she let out another sigh and moved to check her phone again, taking a sip of her frapp as she did so. 11:55. Only five more minutes. They seemed to drag on forever for the poor miko. Thankfully, she only had to wait two more minutes. The bell over the door gave out a small ring, causing Kagome to look up at who entered the building.

There, standing in the entryway, was a youkai. His skin was tan, and he had long black hair tied up in a ponytail. His ears were slightly elongated and pointed at the tip. He was dressed in a loose black T-shirt and worn-looking jeans. She watched as he turned his head, like he was looking for someone. "Kouga?" she asked. _Gods_ she hoped it was him, or else it would be _really_ embarrassing. He turned to look at her then, his icy blue eyes locking onto hers. She felt a shiver run down her spine at the look he was giving her. It wasn't threatening, and it didn't make her uncomfortable.. but she couldn't _quite_ put her finger on it….

Kouga, meanwhile, was _reeling_. As soon as he had stepped foot into the shop, a scent had caught his attention. It was the smell of spring rain and wildflowers, mingling with a fresher scent of paper and ink, something the person had been around recently. He had looked around, trying to locate the source of the smell as his youki tingled under his skin. Then he had heard his name and caught sight of the beauty sitting by one of the windows, closer to the back of the shop. Every cell in his body screamed at him as one word came into his mind. _Mate_. Her skin was pale, like porcelain, and her long black hair flowed down her shoulders in waves. Her eyes were an earthy brown and they held a warmth and kindness in them that set his skin on fire. She wore a white, long-sleeved blouse and a blue skirt. He wanted to go up to her and claim her, but that was not the way it was done these days.

Forcing himself to calm down, he turned to fully face her. "Yeah. Kagome, right?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. She gave him a small smile and nodded in reply. She then motioned for him to join her at her table, and he did as such. She tapped her fingers nervously along the sides of her cup, catching her bottom lip between her teeth.

"So, uh… I guess we should start with basic introductions then." She ceased her tapping on the cup then and, instead, brought her hands to rest in her lap. "I'm Kagome Higurashi, as you already know. I'm attending school here at Osaka for medicine and, well, I can't really afford a place on my own and the friend's I have been staying with are going to get married soon so…" she trailed off, figuring he would get the point. "Oh, and I guess I should tell you, though I'm sure you already know.. I'm a miko. If that's a problem for you, I'd completely understand."

"No, it's no problem." he replied, almost cutting her off. A faint blush warmed his cheeks and he averted his eyes for a few seconds. "Sorry. Honestly though, it's no problem at all." he said. "Anyway, I'm Kouga, of the Yoro clan. I mostly work construction jobs and I've been looking to get a place. My packmates have been driving me up the wall lately." he said with a chuckle. Kagome giggled a bit as well, and the sound was like music to Kouga's ears.

"Well.. we should probably start heading over to the apartment, so you can look at it, and I guess make your decision." she said. He nodded at that and they both rose from the table then. Kagome grabbed her frappuccino and took a sip from it as they left the coffee shop. Kouga glanced down at her as they walked down the streets.

"So.. you said you're attending for medicine? You got into Osaka University? That's quite the feat." he said, clearly impressed.

Kagome blushed at his praise. "Yeah, I was honestly surprised I had gotten accepted. I applied just for the heck of it, not really expecting to get in. I worked my butt off though. I'm really glad it all worked out." she replied, beaming up at him. It just about stopped his heart.

They continued to talk casually with one another, getting to know each other as they made their way to the apartment complex. It didn't take them too long to get to the apartment, it was only about a 25 minute walk from the coffee shop. Usually Kagome took her bike when she was traveling, but she wanted to be courteous to her potential roommate. Though, now that she knew he was a youkai, and a wolf at that, she probably would've been safe taking it. But she had to admit that this time to talk was nice. Kouga seemed to be a nice guy, and the more they talked, the more open she felt to the idea of sharing a space with him.

Kouga, meanwhile, was internally screaming. The more he talked to Kagome and got to know her, the more his inner beast howled in need. He wasn't sure what _exactly_ it was about Kagome that drove him insane, but if they ended up living in the same apartment, he knew he would find out. From what he gathered about her so far, the key points that were sticking out to him was her kindness and how ambitious she was. She had such high goals set for herself, and he honestly admired that. Though, he had to worry. While ambition was good, he had a feeling she was the stubborn type, which could cause some problems for her. Her potential stubbornness could cause her to wear herself thin. However, judging by the bags under her eyes, it seems she already has. That, and the fact he could _smell_ how much caffeine was in her drink. Already his inner beast was trying to push him to take care of her. He did his best to quell the beast, knowing that he had to take his time to get to know her before he could even _entertain_ the thought of trying to make her his woman. He wasn't in the feudal era where he could just claim her for his own and that be the end of it.

By the time they reached the apartment, Kagome's drink was gone and the two were laughing at a stupid joke Kagome had made. "Alright, so.. here it is!" she said, giggles still hidden in the depths of her voice. Kouga looked up at the building, his heart warm and fuzzy from his interactions with the miko at his side. The building looked pretty nice; he could definitely see why she would need a roommate. After a few moments, he looked back towards Kagome and was greeted with a dazzling smile. "Let's go up, shall we?" she asked. He could only nod in response, not trusting his voice, or his mouth in general for that matter. He was bound to say something stupid that would ruin everything.

They made their way up then, going to the third floor of the building. The exterior of the complex was a pristine white. Kouga didn't much care for it, but he _was_ a wolf after all; he preferred the earthy tones of bricks and wood. But he figured he could make do with the sterile looking surroundings. Besides, they could decorate the interior, which he was sure wasn't as white as the outside. Kagome led him down the exterior hallway towards a door near the end of the building and stopped in front of it. She began to dig around in her purse then before producing a key.

As she started unlocking the door, she began to ramble on a bit. "So, it's probably not as big as what you might be used to, but it's still pretty nice in my opinion." Kouga listened to her continue to ramble on about how the apartment looked, a smile on his face. He could tell her nerves were beginning to kick in again, the emotion filling her scent with a sort of burnt scent. Similar to how an electrical fire smelled, a strong scent of copper and rubber mixing together. In all honesty, it burned his nose a little, but there wasn't really much he could do.

Soon, the door was opened and the two stepped into the entryway, removing their shoes at the door. Kouga looked around the small bit of the apartment he could see from the doorway. It looked quaint and homey. Well, it would be a bit _more_ homey once he got his hands on it.

Kagome glanced up at him nervously. She desperately wanted him to approve of the apartment. She really needed a roommate and they were hitting it off pretty well so far. Plus, this was the closest available housing to her school. Catching her lower lip between her teeth and wringing her wrists, she stepped forward. "Well, come on in and take a better look around. The living space is a bit small, but it's doable, I think." she said, continuing to babble mindlessly.

Kouga continued to look around the apartment, his smile growing. The kitchen looked really nice, as did the living space. Sure, it was a tad small, but he was certain they could make do with it. He walked past her to go take a peek at the bedrooms and bathroom, the miko following behind him. After he had finished his exploring, he turned to look at her.

They looked at each other in silence then, Kagome's eyes swirled with a multitude of emotions. She was nervous, and her eyes were practically pleading with him to take up the offer. He smiled a wolfish grin down at her. "Well Kagome, you can go ahead and take your ad down."

The way her eyes lit up at his statement damn near about killed the wolf. "So, you'll be my roommate then?" she asked, lips parted in both anticipation and shock.

"Yep."

She beamed up at him, giddy that everything was working out. Kouga returned her smile, happy that she was feeling better, and especially grateful that her scent was going back to normal. "Oh, thank you so much, Kouga!" she said. He chuckled a bit at that and waved a hand in front of his face.

"Nah, it's nothing. It's a really nice place, and like I said, I've been looking." he replied.

"Well, I'm really glad." They stood there silently for a few moments before Kagome let out a happy hum. "So!" She clapped her hands together then and flashed another blinding smile at Kouga. "Let's go sign the paperwork!"

With that, Kagome scurried off towards the front door, leaving Kouga in the hallway. A low chuckle rumbled through his chest as he placed a hand on his forehead. Well, this was certainly going to be interesting...


	2. Chapter Two: Rain pt 1

So... I'm posting this a bit sooner than planned cause I finished a chapter sooner than I thought I would. Woo, haha. Anyway, hope y'all enjoy!

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It had been a couple weeks since Kouga and Kagome met and started living together. They didn't really get to see much of each other, only spending time together in the evening. They were both gone most of the day, and their days off didn't typically coincide. Kagome had the weekends off, typically using that time to study and do schoolwork, while Kouga's off days were whenever it rained, and Mondays and Tuesdays. Today, though, their schedules managed to line up somehow. The rain kept Kouga at home, on a Saturday no less. It was a rare occurrence.

His eyes slid away from the TV to watch Kagome. The miko was flitting about in the kitchen, working on making them dinner. They had both agreed to switching days for cooking, and today was Kagome's day. It was interesting to watch her work. She handled herself pretty well in the kitchen, despite her streak of clumsiness that he had witnessed. It wasn't anything too serious, it was mostly fumbles with things she was holding, mainly her books. The youkai frowned as he thought about her workload. He did his best to take time and bring her some tea while she was studying, maybe some snacks as well if it seemed like she needed it. Anything, really, to make sure she didn't rely solely on energy drinks and espresso shots. He had taken a quick glance at her text and notes one night and it sent his head _swimming_. He had no idea how she did it.

He pushed the thoughts out of his mind for now and went back to watching the TV. There wasn't really anything special on, just the news as of right now. Kouga had to scoff as a story about a youkai attack came up. He firmly believed that the youkai that thought they could still act like things were the same as they were back in the old days had a screw loose. Humans these days now had even footing with them. Some of the weapons they used terrified even _him_. Not to mention that if any youkai tried things such as this, they were brought before not only human courts, but youkai courts... and their courts were known to be _extremely_ harsh with a little to no tolerance policy. Their position in the world had been made clear centuries ago. Sure it was a hard pill to swallow, but it was a necessary one. It's what kept youkai alive these days.

With that, Kagome appeared next to him, setting down his plate of food. He looked up to thank her and saw the frown on her face, eyes fixated on the TV. "Jeeze.. that's just awful.." she mumbled. Kouga turned to look at the TV as well, now starting to actually _focus_ on the story playing on screen.

Apparently, a youkai had set fire to a local nightclub, having thrown a fit that he wasn't allowed inside. Not because he was a youkai, but because the club was at max capacity. According to the security guard that was speaking to the news reporter, the youkai had tried to pull rank, spouting off about who he was, or well, who he used to be. Kouga rolled his eyes.

"Youkai like him are stupid. He'll get what's coming to him." he said, turning to face Kagome again. Her frown only deepened.

She let out a small sigh and went back into the kitchen to retrieve their soup. He frowned a bit at that. Had he said something wrong? It didn't take Kagome long to return with their bowls of soup, setting them down and then taking her spot across from Kouga. He took this time to look down and see what she had made them that night. It was quite the spread: stir-fried steak and vegetables, fried rice, homemade steak sauce, and miso soup.

As they started to eat, they changed the channel, hoping to find something more lighthearted. Settling on a drama, they ate in relative silence. It drove Kouga crazy. He did his best to take it in stride, but after only a couple minutes of silence between them, a forlorn look on her face, he couldn't stand it anymore. "Kagome.." Her head snapped up. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern clearly written on his face.

She sat there quietly for a few moments, debating. However, she soon let out a sigh and set her chopsticks down. "I just... I find it really sad." At his questioning look she chewed on her cheek for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. "I guess... It's heartbreaking to see youkai go to these extents. I imagine they're hurting inside. So much has changed, and since you all live for so long, I imagine it all feels so quick."

Kouga had to hold back a smile and a chuckle. This woman never ceases to amaze him. Spending what little time he has with her over these past couple weeks has _severely_ endeared her to him. It was astonishing, really.

At his lack of a reply, Kagome flushed and started to fidget. "I mean.. it's just.. It's probably all gone by in the blink of an eye. Like, in the Feudal Era, for example, youkai were so powerful and could do whatever they wanted. But then all of a sudden, you blink and there's cities everywhere and all kinds of new weapons and then you're on equal footing with everyone! Or at least... that's how it's been explained to me. And I can empathize, really! It's all... really fast and-"

He held up a hand then, cutting off her rambling. "It's okay Kagome. I really appreciate your compassion for us youkai." he said, smiling at her. His smile heated her skin and made her blush darken. This overjoyed Kouga. Though, the smell of her embarrassment, fruity in nature, made him a tad bit sad. "But the fact of the matter is, it doesn't matter how difficult it may be for us to adjust. It's something we have to do in order to survive in this world. Any youkai that can't swallow that pill isn't cut out for this life." he said simply, shrugging his shoulders and shoving some rice into his mouth.

Kagome frowned at that but said nothing. She knew he had a point, but it was something she didn't like to think about. She wished that things could just... work out perfectly. She knew it was probably childish to think in such a way, but she couldn't help it. She was going to be a doctor. Her job was to _save_ people. That's all she really wanted... for everyone to be safe and happy.

It didn't take too long for them to finish their food. Once they were both done, Kouga thanked her for the delicious meal, then gathered up their dishes. This was the other part of their deal: whoever cooked that day, the other had to do the cleanup. It was efficient and fair to both parties involved. As he stood in the kitchen, washing the dishes, he could smell the fruitiness fading from her scent. It was gradual, but it was soon gone from her, and then all he could scent in the room was the lingering smell of the food she had made, and Kagome's own natural scent. The smell of spring rain and wildflowers had slowly become a comfort to him. Even while she wasn't there on days he was, her scent filled the house. It lulled him and his inner beast alike. He knew he was falling for her, _hard_. Getting to know her was only solidifying the claim his beast had staked on her.

He had considered starting the courting process, but he knew that humans moved slower than wolf youkai. He had to constantly remind his inner beast of that. Kouga also had a feeling that it would take a bit longer than usual with Kagome anyway. She was so focused on school, and she seemed to have a one-track mind. From what he's seen, anyway. It was a bit hard to tell, since he, again, had only been spending very limited time with her since they moved in together. He shook his head free of the thoughts. He could dwell on them later. With that, he set back to work with the dishes, cleaning them, drying a few, and putting them away. Some items he left in the drying rack. Once he was done there, he turned back to rejoin Kagome in front of the TV.

Kagome was focused on the TV, and Kouga tried to watch the show that was on, he really did, but her scent was so intoxicating. He kept glancing over at her, watching her. The bags under her eyes were steadily getting darker and more pronounced. Her hair was still pulled up in its bun from when she was cooking, though now he could see several strands that had fallen out and were now framing her face. He wanted to move closer to her and brush the hair back. Hell, he would love to run his claws through her hair and braid it for her. He wanted to do anything and everything she needed. Gods, he was such a lovesick pup. He forced himself to tear his eyes away from the miko next to him and stare at the TV. He managed to catch the ending of the episode before the credits started to roll.

The miko next to him let out a huff and he turned to, once again, look at her. He watched as she rose from her seat and stretched. "Well.. I should go hit the books." she said, flashing him a soft smile that stopped his heart. Where did she get off being so cute like that? He simply smiled back at her.

"Yeah. I'll get the tea started." She giggled a bit at that.

"You don't have to make me tea all the time, Kouga. Though I do really appreciate it."

"Hey, green tea is a better form of caffeine than those damn energy drinks." he argued, though there was a grin on his face.

She set her hands on her hips then. "Hey now, I happen to like those energy drinks." she fired back with an ear-splitting grin.

"Well, you're a doctor aren't ya? You should know how terrible they are for you."

She shook her head then, rolling her eyes and waving off his teasings. "Yeah, yeah. I'll deal with the consequences later. Now, I'm gonna go get to studying." And with that, she was walking down the hall to her room, and then she was gone from his sight. Kouga chuckled a bit to himself. Yep.. she was definitely the woman for him. With that thought in mind, he rose from his seat and went back into the kitchen, ready to put the kettle on.

 **..::YatM::**..

Kagome was creating a storm in her room. She had music playing as she did her best to clean up her room. Sango and Miroku were supposed to be visiting today and she hadn't had time to clean her room until today. It was sending her into a bit of a panic. Sure, they had lived together for several years, but she still wanted to make a good impression on them. Besides, it was only Sango who knew how messy Kagome could get at times, depending on her stress level. Which was the main reason why she felt the urgency to clean up; she knew that her friend would try to make an immediate bee-line for her room to check to see how the miko was _actually_ doing. _Damn that girl and her perceptiveness…_ she practically growled to herself. She loved Sango to death, truly, but that girl could be so nosy at times. And stubborn! Gods… Though, Kagome supposed that's how they bonded in the first place.

The miko let out a sigh as she put away the last of her books on her shelf. She knew she would just need to take them down again as soon as her friends were gone, but at least now she felt a bit better about the state of her room. From there, Kagome went about putting away the cleaning supplies, trying to hide any and all evidence that she had been cleaning at all. Once that was done, she turned off her music, grabbed a change of clothes, and made her way to the bathroom. Cleaning up had caused her to sweat, and she was silently grateful that she had waited to take her shower. It was the absolute _worst_ to shower and then get dirty or sweaty immediately after. It completely defeated the purpose!

Kagome let out a sigh as she undressed, tossing her clothes haphazardly to the floor as she moved to start the shower water. While she waited for the water to heat up, she went about brushing her teeth, making extra sure she would look well taken care of. With that done, she stepped into the shower and let the warm water soak into her bones. She hoped it would undo at least _some_ of the knots in her back, though she knew she would need a good soak in the bath in order to get a good portion of them undone.

Too soon, she was done in the shower and was stepping out, the cold tile sending chills up her spine and causing her to shudder. She dried herself off as quickly as she could and put her clothes on. She then set about blow drying her hair. Once she was done, she gathered her clothes up off the floor and then left the bathroom. She stopped by her room to toss her clothes in the hamper, and then made her way to the kitchen to prepare some snacks and get the tea started. She was excited, but also a bit anxious for her visitors. This would be the first time they saw the apartment since she moved in. Sango had been a big part in Kagome's search, and both she and Miroku had come with Kagome when she went to visit in person. Neither of them had been since that day. Kagome didn't really have much to move in with, and what she _did_ have wasn't too bad to handle. Not to mention, the two of them had been busy when Kagome decided to move in. So, this would be their first time seeing it all moved into… and it would, possibly, be their first time meeting her roommate.

She bit her lip at the thought and narrowly avoided cutting her finger. "Shit.." she muttered under her breath. She better focus on the task at hand… She took a moment to calm her thoughts before moving to finish chopping the cabbage. Kagome laser focused on her task, getting all the ingredients for the gyoza filling ready. Once she was done with that, she began to make them, folding them carefully and precisely. By the time she had finished the frying process and was a couple minutes into the steaming portion, she heard a knock on the door.

Sucking in a breath, Kagome readied herself. She quickly washed her hands and dried them off before going to the door. She opened it and was immediately tackled by Sango. "Oh Kagome! It's been too long! I've missed you so much." she said.

Kagome laughed and hugged her back. "I've missed you too, Sango." They soon released each other, and Kagome looked over towards Miroku. "It's nice to see you again, Miroku. I've missed you as well." she said, smiling at him. He returned her smile and gave a small bow.

"And the same goes to you, Kagome."

The miko beamed at her friends then and ushered them inside. As Kagome scurried back to the kitchen, Sango and Miroku took time to look around. The apartment was decorated quite nicely, now. There were plenty of plants near the window, some of them hanging from the walls and ceiling. They knew for a fact that those weren't Kagome's. Sango looked up at Miroku and raised an eyebrow. He simply shrugged, and they went back to looking around. They recognized quite a few items in the small living area as Kagome's, however, they didn't recognize the majority of the items in the room. They could only guess that they were her roommate's.

Sango was itching to go find Kagome's room and see how it was being kept. She had a feeling that her friend was working herself too hard, which wasn't a surprise, and Sango wanted to know just how _bad_ it was. However, before she could ask where the "bathroom" was, Kagome had finished the gyoza she was making and was walking towards them with several plates in hand.

"Alright! Let's sit and catch up!" she beamed. Sango couldn't deny that face.

The couple seated themselves at the table and Kagome placed the plate with the gyoza on it in the center of the table, placing the three smaller plates in front of her friends and herself, along with several pairs of chopsticks, then went off to the kitchen to grab the tea. She returned with the pot and set it nearby, then had to leave once more to get cups. Once she was back with those, she poured them each a cup of tea and finally, _finally_ sat down to relax. The couple thanked her and they all reached for the gyoza, tearing off several pieces each and setting them down on their respective plates.

"So Kagome, how has it been going?" Sango asked before popping the pork-filled dumpling into her mouth.

"It's been going pretty well. School is the same as always, but you know, what can you do?" she asked with a bit of a shrug. Sango nodded thoughtfully at this. She was doing her best to study the miko in front of her without being obvious about it. She noticed that the dark circles under her eyes were getting bigger. Sango opened her mouth to bring it up, subtly, but Miroku cut her off before a single sound could leave her mouth.

"So.. are those plants hanging near the window your roommate's?" he asked, dipping his piece of gyoza in some soy sauce before popping it into his mouth.

Kagome's eyes shifted over to look at the plants. She had been surprised when Kouga had brought them in and set them up, however his reasoning was pretty sound. "Oh, yeah they are. My roommate really likes plants. It reminds them of their past living in the forest." she said. She had been doing her best to keep the gender of her roommate neutral. She wasn't sure how her friends would react to her staying with a man. Well actually, she knew _exactly_ how they'd react. Which is why it was _imperative_ that she kept the identity of her roommate a secret.

"You mentioned that your roommate is a youkai. What kind are they?" Sango asked, quirking an eyebrow. Sango would be lying if she said she hadn't been concerned when Kagome mentioned she was moving in with a youkai. She had nothing against them, it was just that mikos and youkai weren't known to get along well. They had a long history of violence and she felt that she was right in her concern for her friend. But she knew that Kagome wouldn't put herself in danger, so she had put her worries to rest.

Kagome grew a bit nervous at this. Would it be safe to tell them she was living with a wolf youkai? She knew that Sango came from a long line of slayers. Of course, the practice had fallen away several centuries ago, but she knew that Sango still had that in her veins and had likely been taught things, just in case. After all, it didn't hurt to be too safe. There were still some dangerous youkai out there, if the news report from last night was anything to go by.

"Well.. um.. they're a wolf youkai." she replied meekly. She fiddled with her fingers nervously, trying to gauge Sango's reaction. She watched as her friend contemplated this for a few moments before nodding.

"Interesting. I'd like to meet them one day! When do they usually come home?" she asked, a smile on her face.

Kagome paled. "Ah well, you see, I doubt they'll be coming home tonight! I think they mentioned something about their pack, so maybe some other time!" she answered nervously.

Sango narrowed her eyes as she studied the miko. She didn't believe her... Shifting her eyes over to look at Miroku, he seemed to think the same thing. She refocused her attention on Kagome then. "What's wrong Kagome? What are you not telling us?"

"N-nothing! They're just busy some days!" she said, trying to laugh off her nerves. It wasn't working. She watched as Sango looked about ready to continue her line of questioning, and the miko prayed that anything, _anything_ would stop this interrogation. Then they all heard the clicking sound of the locks being undone and Kagome had to hold back a groan. Maybe she should've been a bit more specific in her prayers...


	3. Chapter Three: Rain pt 2

Kouga had needed to stop work early today, as it began to rain, _once again_. It had been about halfway through his shift when the downpour started. Usually, they could work through a drizzle, which they _had_ been, but then the skies just dumped on them and they had to stop for the day. He had been eager to get home and shed his soaked clothes, take a nice, hot shower and then sit in front of a space heater. But when he entered the apartment, he had a distinct feeling he wouldn't be able to do that.

Once he was inside and kicking off his shoes, he noticed two other pairs that he didn't recognize. On top of that, there were two other people in the apartment with Kagome that he could smell. The scent that was sticking out the most to him, however, he was positive was coming from Kagome. A fruity electrical fire was an... _interesting_ combination to say the least.

He had two options, here: he could put his shoes back on and leave, pretending he was never here, or he could walk into the living area and see what was going on. As he contemplated these two options, his choice seemed to be made for him when he heard a voice speak up. "Well, looks like we'll get to meet your roommate after all!" The voice was female, and it sounded _very_ smug. Kagome's scent flared at her words. He let out a sigh. Looks like he had no other choice. _Sorry Kagome..._

Kouga walked out of the entryway then and into the lion's den. Several things happened at once the moment he entered the room. Kagome's scent flared once more, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of red that he'd never seen on her before. Her female friend sitting across from her had a look of shock on her face, then she turned to give Kagome a look, one that Kouga didn't quite catch before her face was hidden from his view. The man sitting between the two females simply smiled, a hint of a chuckle escaping him. Kouga raised an eyebrow at their strange behavior.

"Kagome. You didn't tell us you were living with a man." the male spoke, turning to face Kagome once more. The miko couldn't be any more embarrassed than she was right now.

"Yeah Kagome. Why didn't you tell us?" the female asked. He could hear the smirk in her voice.

"Can we please drop this?" the miko whined, burying her face in her hands.

"Fine... for now." The female turned to look at him then with a huge smile on her face. "Why don't you introduce us to your roommate?"

Kouga's eyes shifted to look over at Kagome, who was avoiding his gaze. The electrical fire was gone from her scent, leaving only fruitiness. Now that the scent was so strong, he could pick out that it was specifically strawberries.

She let out a sigh then, running a hand through her hair. "Sango, Miroku, this is Kouga. Kouga, this is Sango and Miroku. They are the people I was staying with beforehand." she said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." the couple said, _almost_ simultaneously.

"Yeah, a pleasure." Kouga replied with a bit of a chuckle. "If you wouldn't mind, I'm going to go change and then I'll be back out to chat, if you would like." he said. He didn't miss the groan Kagome let out. Oops...

"Yes, I'd _love_ that." Sango said, clasping her hands together, a too wide smile on her face.

Gods.. what had he gotten himself into? He shakes his head a bit as he makes his way to his room, stopping by the bathroom to grab his towel on the way. He then disappeared into his room, leaving Kagome to the lions. He felt kinda bad, but what could he do? He'd be out to save her in a couple moments.

Kagome was immediately bombarded with questions by Sango. They went by so fast that Kagome barely had any time to process the girl's words. "S-Sango please.. Slow down." Kagome said, trying to quell the slayer's curiosity.

"Sorry." she said with a bit of a blush on her cheeks. She hadn't meant to bombard the miko with anything and everything that had crossed her mind. She waited patiently until Kagome gave her the okay to speak. "So, are you dating him?" she asked.

" _Sango!_ " Kagome cried. She couldn't _believe_ her! Well… that was a lie. Kagome knew this was coming. She absolutely, 100% _knew_ that this would be how her friends would react to her living with a man. " _No_. I met him the day we signed the lease." she hissed out, keeping her voice hushed. She knew that youkai had heightened senses, and she was certain it would be even more so for the wolf.

"Well, this is quite an odd way to go about things. But I guess if you're more comfortable going out of order with your relationship then be my guest." Miroku said with a shrug.

Kagome's face turned beet red. "Gods.. Miroku _please!_ " she begged. She didn't want to be teased. Not now, not ever.

"I'm just saying, it's quite odd. Normally you date first, then se-" Sango slapped her hand over Miroku's mouth then, a look of annoyance on her face. Kagome let out a sigh of relief, her cheeks starting to cool down.

"Okay, even _I_ have to stop you there, Miroku. That's taking it a bit too far." Sango said. Miroku just gave a shrug. Sango rolled her eyes and waited a couple seconds before removing her hand from his mouth. "Now, in all seriousness I'm a bit surprised. I never would've thought you would decide to move in with a man." she said, confusion plain on her face. Kagome let out a sigh, picking up her chopsticks and grabbing another piece of gyoza and popping it into her mouth. As she chewed, she set her chopsticks back down and contemplated her wording. By the time she had finished chewing and swallowed, she had some semblance of what she wanted to say put together.

"Well.. honestly he was the best option I had. I was a bit nervous about him being a wolf youkai, as they can be quite… boisterous from what I've heard, but he's been really calm and quiet whenever I study. He's really nice and I trust him." she said simply, giving a bit of a shrug near the end.

"Trust him as in wanting to get in his pants trust or-" That earned Miroku a slap from Sango. Miroku hissed in pain, rubbing the stinging mark on his cheeks as Sango huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What about my pants?" Oh, _Gods_ how Kagome wished she would be struck down by a lightning bolt right now. The miko had never been so mortified in her entire life. Placing her elbows on the table, Kagome buried her face in her hands.

Kouga let out a chuckle. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't heard almost everything the party had said while he was in his room getting changed. Granted it was a bit muffled, but he had been able to make it out. Well, except for that one point in time Kagome had whispered, but he was pretty sure he knew what she said. He took his seat on the other end of the table, across from Miroku and in between the two women. Kagome had yet to remove her face from her hands. She didn't want to see the look Kouga had on his face.

Sango's cheeks were a light shade of pink as she looked up at Kouga. "I'm sorry about him. Miroku just gets like this sometimes." she said, laughing nervously. Kouga waved off her concern.

"It's no big deal. Trust me, my packmates can make worse jokes than that." he replied with a laugh of his own.

"How much did you hear?" Kagome asked, her voice muffled slightly by her hands. Kouga turned to look at her and considered this for a moment. He could say he heard everything, but he figured that would just embarrass her more.

"Only the last little bit. Well, that and when you yelled 'Sango', but other than that nothing." he answered with a shrug.

Kagome let out a sigh of relief at that, and Kouga could smell the fruitiness fading from her scent. Seems like he said the right thing. She slowly removed her hands from her face and her cheeks were now only stained with a light pink. She moved to pick up her chopsticks then but froze mid-movement. She looked over at Kouga then, and he could practically see the gears turning in her head. "I'm going to go get you a plate." she said. And with that, she was up and heading towards the kitchen.

Sango let out a sigh next to him and he turned to look at her, quirking an eyebrow. She noticed his look, and returned his questioning gaze with a small frown, then mouthed "She needs to _relax._ " Kouga couldn't agree more with her. Kagome seemed to be constantly doing something. She never allowed time for herself to just.. _rest._ Maybe he could find a way to fix that….

The miko quickly returned with a plate, a pair of chopsticks, and a cup for Kouga, setting the items down in front of him. She went to reach for the tea, but Sango was quicker, all but snatching it off the table. "Sango, let me handle it. You're the guest here." Kagome said with a frown.

"It's fine Kagome, you've done enough already. Sit down and relax for a bit." The two all but had a glare off, one that Kouga found quite interesting to watch. He could see why these two were friends, they were two peas in a pod. Kagome eventually gave in, letting out a sigh and sitting down at her spot at the table. Sango beamed at her best friend then, grateful that her stubbornness won out over Kagome's. She then moved to pour Kouga his tea, and once she had done that, she set the teapot back in its place on the table. Kouga thanked them, then picked up his chopsticks and tore off several pieces of gyoza, setting them on his plate and popping one into his mouth. It never ceased to amaze him how great of a cook Kagome was. They all began to enjoy their food then, the tension dying down from earlier. Once it had completely dissipated and everyone was relaxed, Sango decided it was time to (interrogate) talk to Kouga.

"So Kouga, why don't you tell us a little bit about you?" she asked.

"Well, I'm a wolf youkai, as I'm sure you can tell, and I'm part of the Yoro clan." he said, taking a sip of his tea.

"What made you want to be away from your pack?" Miroku asked. All eyes were on him then, and it made Kouga a bit nervous. His eyes shifted over to look at Kagome, and her curious gaze near about broke him. He knew she had been dying to know the moment he said he was a wolf.

He let out a bit of a sigh then. "I had to not only live with them 24/7, but also work with them. They were starting to get on my nerves, especially my betas-"

"You're the alpha?" Kagome asked, clearly shocked. _Shit…_

"Yeah."

"Well, how do they manage without you? Don't you kind of… have to be there?" she asked. The miko was _burning_ with curiosity now.

"They're all adults, they can handle themselves." he replied gruffly. "They know that if they don't behave I'll go over there and kick their asses into the next century." he added with a shrug. This caused the others to laugh. Kouga soon chuckled along with them, and from there, the visit was pleasant. The group chatted animatedly amongst themselves and got to know each other better.

Soon, though, it came time for Sango and Miroku to leave. The slayer was a bit disappointed that she didn't get a chance to peak in Kagome's room, but that would come another day. The two hugged briefly before Kagome waved them off, and once they were out of her sight, she closed the door with a sigh. "I love them, but jeeze…" she mumbled under her breath, placing her palm over her forehead. She made her way back into the living area, greeted by a chuckling Kouga.

"They sure are lively." he said. Kagome gave a half-hearted laugh at that. She set to work then, collecting the dishes and piling them up. Or well, she _started_ to. Once Kouga caught on to what she was doing, he stopped her. "I've got it Kagome, you sit and rest for a while."

"It's my night to do dishes, though. You're cooking, I can do it."

"Our deal is that whoever didn't cook does the dishes. I didn't cook this, so I'll do the dishes." he argued. Kagome glared at him. She hated being patronized like this. She was a grown woman, she could do things! She didn't need to be taken care of.

" _Look._ Let me take care of it."

" _No._ "

"And why not?"

"Because, ever since I met you you've done nothing but work. Now I know you need to study, but you need to take breaks whenever you can, Kagome, or you're going to run yourself ragged!" he snapped. Kagome's eyes widened at that. He had never raised his voice around her before, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't scared by it. The scent of rotting flesh mixed with the sharp acidity of lemon filled his nose and he instantly panicked. He had scared her… he didn't mean to do that…

"Kagome I… I'm sorry." he whispered, a low whine in the back of his throat. He lowered himself into a more submissive pose, being sure to keep his head lower than hers and not look her in the eyes. It was odd for him to be submissive, but his inner beast was screaming at him to do so, as it was the only way his woman would forgive him. Kagome's fear started to lessen as she grew a bit confused. The confusion didn't last long, however, as Kouga continued to whine and apologize. It clicked, then, that he was apologizing the best way he knew how: by being submissive. She quickly grew flustered by this, especially now that she knew he was the alpha of his pack. An alpha being submissive? She'd never heard of such a thing!

"Oh.. n-no it's fine Kouga. You're concerned and honestly I… I appreciate it. I'll go sit and relax, promise." she said, giving him a weak smile. He began to right himself then, sitting up and, tentatively, looking her in the eyes. He quickly grew relieved as the scent of her fear vanished and was, instead, being replaced by just a slight hint of strawberries. He could work with that.

"It's not just me that's concerned, you know? Your friends are worried about you too." he said with a slight frown, now gathering up the dishes. Kagome sat back in her spot, a frown on her face. She knew how worried everyone was about her, but there wasn't much she could do. She had to work hard to get to where she was, and in order to stay in Osaka, she had to continue to push herself.

As Kouga was getting ready to get up, dishes in hand, he could smell something else coming into her scent. It was similar to freshly dug up dirt.. but it was wet, like there had been a heavy rainfall.. and a hint of moss? He subtly sniffed a bit more and confirmed that, yes, he was smelling damp soil and moss. Was she sad now? He frowned at the thought. He looked over at Kagome then, concern filling him to his core. "Hey… would you like to get take-out tonight?" he asked.

She turned to look at him, confused. "Take-out?"

"Yeah.. you know.. give both of us a break." he suggested, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

She thought it over then. Would it really kill them, or their budget? In all honesty, Kagome couldn't remember the last time she had take-out. Maybe this _was_ the best option to go.. Something quick and easy… "You know what, sure." she said with a smile.

Kouga beamed at her then. "Alright. Let me take care of these dishes and I'll order some." She giggled at that and gave him verbal confirmation, and then he was in the kitchen. Her scent was beginning to turn back to normal, and he felt his chest swell with pride. He could do this… He could take care of her.


	4. Chapter Four: Relaxation

Hey guys, sorry it took so long to put in an update. Life has been... _hectic_ to say the least... ha,,, but anywho, here ya go and I hope you enjoy! :D

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It had been close to two weeks since Sango and Miroku's visit. With Kouga's help, Kagome has been doing her best to take some time to relax. It was… _odd_. She was used to working all the time, but now that she was taking some breaks, it was nice. The knots in her back weren't as bad, and she didn't feel but so stressed now. A part of her didn't really know what to do with herself… However, she tried to use her downtime to her advantage, despite the strangeness of it all.

She let out a sigh as she stepped into the apartment, taking her shoes off at the door. Her school day today was… well, a _day._ She was more than ready to take a load off and unwind before she had to start on her homework. Stepping further into the apartment, she was hit by the smell of food and it made her stomach growl and mouth water in anticipation. She set her things down and moved to go take her spot at the table.

"Hey Kagome, how was your day?" Kouga asked, focused on his task at the stove.

"Could've been better.. but nothing I can't handle." she replied with a smile.

"Good." he said, and Kagome could practically hear the smile in his voice. He turned the stove off then and she watched as he began to dish up whatever it was he had been cooking. "You're just in time, too." he added, and now she could see the huge grin spreading across his face.

It wasn't too long before he was approaching her, two bowls in hand with chopsticks resting on top. He set down the first bowl in front of her and then the other in his usual spot across from her. She licked her lips as she looked down at the bowl of udon noodles and tempura. It smelled absolutely _divine_. However, she waited patiently for Kouga to sit down across from her before she allowed herself to dig in. The meal was absolutely delicious.

They were a few bites into their meal before Kouga decided to spark up a conversation. "So, what did you do today?" he asked nonchalantly. It's not that he didn't believe Kagome when she said her day was okay… it's just that, well, he didn't believe her. He could hear her sigh when she came in, could practically _feel_ the tension in her aura. Can you really blame him for doubting her words? It was how Kagome was, after all; never wanting anyone to worry about her.

Kagome looked up at him, reading his expression. Was she really that transparent? Well… then again, he _was_ a wolf. He could probably tell due to his instincts... and those damned heightened senses. She let out a sigh. Seems like she wasn't getting out of this one… "Well…" And then she let loose. It was a rant to end all rants as she covered _not only_ what happened today, but what had been going on and stressing her out over the entire week. Kagome wasn't the type to rant or complain about her problems, but when she did it was like the floodgates were opened. She was usually able to keep things bottled up for a while, something she prided herself on. The last time she had gone on a rant like this was close to a year ago with Sango during her finals. It had been… a _rough_ time.

Kouga sat there and listened to her, frowning at certain parts in her tale, but mostly nodding along, if only to show that he was listening and paying attention. The more he learned about her week, the more worried he grew. He now understood why she was so tired all the time, and her stress made a lot of sense. However….

Once Kagome had finished her rant, Kouga set his bowl down, along with his chopsticks, and a serious expression crossed his features. It worried Kagome. "Kagome…. you need a serious break." he said.

She grimaced. "I get that… but I had to-"

"No. No arguments about it this time, Kagome. I'm not saying don't work hard, but you're going to take a break today."

She looked at him, slightly panicked. "But I have to make sure I'm ready for the test next week!"

"You can afford to not study tonight."

"But-"

"No. Finish your food then go take a bath, I'll even get the water started for you." he said, taking a bite of his last piece of tempura.

Kagome frowned. She wanted to argue, but she was learning just how stubborn Kouga could be when it came to her health and relaxation. She knew that arguing would get her nowhere… and he would probably make a few good points as well, just to top it all off. She grumbled and took a bite of her shrimp tempura. "Fine." she all but growled. Kouga grinned and rose from the table then, picking up his bowl and chopsticks.

"Great. I'll go get it started then. You enjoy your food." he said.

She watched as he entered the kitchen, dropping off his dishes in there and then went towards the bathroom. She let out a sigh and grumbled a bit under her breath as she continued to eat her meal. She wasn't ungrateful or anything, she honestly and truly appreciated the concern he showed her… but she hated being a bother to people, and that's what she felt like she was amidst all of this. She suddenly didn't feel like eating anymore of her food. Letting out a sigh, she rose from her spot at the table, picking up her bowl and chopsticks, and headed into the kitchen.

From there, she pulled down some containers from the cabinets and started to put the food away, putting her leftovers in their own little container and then putting them in the fridge. Once that was done, she turned on the water in the sink and started to do the dishes. Thankfully there weren't too many, so it didn't really take her long to finish them up. She left the cutting board out to dry in the drying rack, but hand dried the others. By the time she had finished putting them away, Kouga was walking out of the bathroom to get her.

"It's all ready for you Kagome." he said, a smile on his face.

She returned his smile as she closed the cabinet door. "Thank you."

With that, she walked past him, towards her room to grab a change of clothes. Once she had them, she made her way towards the bathroom, hearing the faint sounds of the TV in the background. She smiled a bit and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She set her clothes down on the counter and undressed. She then went to where the shower and bath were. She then grabbed a bottle of her favorite bath oil, which smelled of melon and honey, and poured some into the water. As she waited for it to take its effect on the water, slowly giving it a green hue, she took a quick shower.

Once she was all clean, she stepped into the bath and let out a sigh of content. Sinking low in the water, she could feel all her tension fade away and her knots loosen. A huge grin spread across her face as she began to unwind. As she relaxed, she began to reflect on Kouga. He was so kind to her, and there were still things they didn't know about each other. Maybe it was a wolf thing? She couldn't be too sure… she would have to ask him a bit more about his kind. She felt bad with him seemingly doting on her all the time as of late, but it didn't seem there was much she could do to stop him. It didn't matter how many times she tried to resist, he always ended up wearing her down… and providing points she couldn't argue against.

She let out a sigh and rested her arms on the side of the tub, resting her head on top of them. She, of course, appreciated his concern, but it just made her feel bad. They were still strangers, but he showed her so much concern, and in her honest opinion she, 1) didn't deserve it, and 2) hadn't done anything to return the favor. However, it didn't really seem like he had any worries, other than her. But then again… she had never really asked. Maybe she should do that… she really needed to return the favor, or else she would feel indebted to him the rest of her life. Speaking of which, she needed to finish repaying Sango for all the help she had provided in the years she had spent with the slayer. Kagome pushed these thoughts from her mind. She could worry about all of this later… for now, she was going to relax and enjoy her bath.

Once the water started to cool, she stepped out of the tub and drained it, drying herself off with a nearby towel. Once she was dry, she dressed herself in the clothes she had brought, a pajama set that was lavender in color, and rinsed off the tub once the water was all drained. From there, she grabbed her hairbrush and walked out of the bathroom, going into the living area and sitting down across from Kouga, brushing her hair. She had been nervous to be around him in pajamas at first, but after a couple mornings of forgetting to change before breakfast, she grew used to it and didn't really care anymore.

Kouga watched her brush her hair out of the corner of his eye. He felt a bit restless, resisting the urge to tap his fingers on the table. He kept contemplating if he should ask her, worried she might get upset. However, as his inner beast continued to howl and annoy him, he eventually gave in. He slowly let out a breath and then held out his hand towards her. "Here." Kagome stopped, looking at him confused. "Let me. It's.. comforting to have your hair brushed for you. I can even braid it if you'd like?" he asked, a hint of a blush on his cheeks.

Kagome's face flushed. This was… such an _intimate_ request! Or… or was it? She had to remember that he was a wolf after all… She knew that wolf youkai, or well.. _any_ canine youkai for that matter, would do things with their pack that humans deemed intimate, but it wasn't in reality. Did… did Kouga view her as part of his pack? That… would certainly explain a lot of his behavior. She sucked in a breath, trying to calm herself. She opened her mouth to voice her agreement, but quickly closed it, thinking better of that action. She couldn't trust her voice right now. Instead, she nodded and handed him the brush, her blush darkening slightly.

The wolf grinned and moved closer to her until he was sitting behind her. Kagome kept her eyes fixed on the TV as Kouga took her hair in his hands and gently began to brush it. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she chalked it up to the embarrassment. But as he continued to brush out the knots in her hair with nothing but a gentle hand, she began to relax and enjoy the sensation. He was right, it _was_ really comforting.

Soon enough, all the knots were brushed out, and she heard him place the brush on the table next to them. She was about to thank him, when she felt him start to run his claws through her hair. Her blush soon returned, but she did her best to calm herself. This was meant to relax her after all…

Kouga was also blushing, though he'd be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying himself. Sure, hair brushing and braiding wasn't an intimate gesture for his kind, but this was different. He had feelings for Kagome, feelings that were only growing stronger with time. However, he did his best to push them to the side. He could focus on those at a later point in time, right now he needed to focus on Kagome. He had to admit though, he was surprised at how silky and soft her hair was. He could run his claws through it all day. After he indulged himself for a few moments, he began to braid it. He took his time with it, partially to make sure it looked nice, and partially due to him being selfish. But he soon finished the braid, much to his dismay, and he pulled off an elastic band from his wrist. He always carried extras on him, just in case his snapped and he had to redo his ponytail.

He slipped the elastic onto the end of her hair, tying it and securing the braid. "There ya go, all done." he said, reluctantly moving away from her. Kagome immediately reached back, feeling the braid and pulling it over her shoulder, and a smile soon graced her features. She turned to Kouga then, beaming at him.

"Thank you. You were right, that felt really nice and was super relaxing." she said.

Kouga stared at her for a few moments, a blush staining his cheeks before he returned her smile with a grin of his own. "Of course, anytime Kagome."

She hummed in approval then, nodding as well. Her heart was still hammering away in her chest, but it was starting to slow down now that Kouga had distanced himself. Again, she blamed this on her embarrassment. Actually, now that she was reminded of it.. "Hey Kouga, can I ask you something?" she asked.

Her big, curious doe eyes melted his heart. "Sure, what is it?"

"So.. I was wondering… is this something you do often with your pack?"

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't surprised by her question. "Um.. well, yeah. Why do ya ask?"

"Well…" She blushed then and started to fidget. "Y'see… that kind of thing is, umm, pretty… _intimate_ for us humans, but I figured it was something that some youkai do. Y'know.. to build pack relations. And so, I guess my question is, do you view me as a packmate?" she asked, looking up at him nervously.

He blinked, and then a smile broke out across his face. "Yeah. I know that it _technically_ hasn't been that long, but it's been long enough for me to consider you part of my pack." he replied.

She grinned at that. "Well, I guess that explains your worry over me then, huh?" she asked, laughing a bit.

"Yeah." _Let's go with that…_ he thought. He knew that now wasn't a good time to confess, he knew it wouldn't be good for a _while_. She also still needed to meet his packmates, but that was for another time. For now, he was going to enjoy his time with Kagome and get to know her better.


	5. Chapter Five: Youkai Attacks

It had been raining for a solid week, and the past couple of days have been thunderstorms. On top of that, there has been an increased number of crimes throughout Japan, all suspected to be at the hands of youkai due to the frequency and type of attacks. It saddened Kagome to no end. She let out a sigh and opened up her umbrella. The scariest part about all of this was the rain had come on unexpectedly. It hadn't been in any of the forecasts, but this rainstorm had been sweeping down Japan just like the crimes. If Kagome had to garner a guess, she figured that whatever youkai was behind the attacks was behind this unusual weather. Sure, it was the rainy season and all, but it didn't typically rain _this_ much, nor did it come on unexpectedly.

She let out a sigh then and shoved these thoughts down deep into the depths of her mind; she could worry about all of this later. For now, she needed to get home and start on her homework. With that in mind, she stepped out from underneath the safety of the overhang and started making her way back to the apartment. The streets were practically desolate. She only passed a handful of people on the sidewalk; seems like most opted to take their cars out today, not like she could blame them. She had gotten out of class early that day due to the unpredictable weather. It was so odd to see the streets so empty in the middle of the afternoon…

As Kagome passed by an ally way, she heard a loud cry. She stopped in her tracks, eyes wide. Was that a child? She turned on her heel and made her way back to the ally and started to walk down it, her pace quick. The further in she moved, the louder the crying became, and then she heard laughter. Loud, _evil_ laughter. She walked faster, practically running now. Once she turned a corner in the ally way, the picture became clear. Sitting on the ground, coiled up in a ball, was a small fox kit, crying and shaking. Standing over the kit was another youkai, though Kagome couldn't fully tell what kind. His face reminded her of a salamander, in fact, he looked rather reptilian. The majority of his head was bald, but he had a long braid on the back of his head, near the base of his skull. In his hand, he held what looked to be a dead fox.

Rage consumed Kagome as she saw the youkai take a step towards the kit. "Hey you!" Both youkai turned to look at her then, the kit with wide, watery eyes, and the salamander-looking one with a look of rage. "Leave that kid alone! He's done nothing to you!" she yelled.

He laughed, a cold merciless laugh that sent chills down Kagome's spine. "Oh yeah? And just how are you going to stop me?" he asked. With that, she saw him open his mouth slightly, and she could see yellow light filling it. She could hear the crackling of thunder and fear filled her to her core. She had to act fast!

Kagome brought up her reiki, channeling it into her palm, and just before the youkai could let out his attack, she threw it at him. He screamed in agony, his attack being shot into the sky and caused the clouds to darken, the rain to pick up, and a streak of lightning to flash through the sky followed quickly by a loud clap of thunder. Kagome was shocked for several moments, realizing just what would've happened if that had hit her. Shaking the thoughts from her head, she rushed forward, dropping her umbrella and scooping the kit up into her arms. She moved to run away, but the kit cried out. "Father! We-We can't leave my father with him!" he sobbed. The miko stood there, frazzled. She turned to look at the youkai once more and saw that the fox he had been holding was now on the ground.

She rushed to grab it, and as she drew close, she realized, with a bit of relief, that it was a pelt and not just a dead body. She reached down to grab it, but by then her reiki had worn off and the youkai grabbed onto it as well. Kagome's head was swimming. She didn't want to ruin the pelt, and she couldn't let go of either it or the kit to attack him again… Or maybe she didn't have to.. Acting fast, Kagome channeled reiki into her foot, then brought it up and kicked the youkai in the chest. He screamed as the kick began to purify him, but only partially. Amidst his pain, he relinquished his hold on the pelt, and Kagome was quick to draw it close to her chest. She then took off running, sprinting away as fast as she could. It wouldn't be long before her reiki wore off once more, and she had to be long gone when it did.

The kit in her arms continued to cry, pulling the pelt close to him. Kagome frowned, feeling awful for the small kit. She could ask questions later, though. For now, she had to get home as quickly as possible and check the kit for any injuries. For once this week, she was grateful for the rain. It should wash away her scent…

 **..::YatM::**..

Kouga had been both annoyed and grateful for the rain. It was annoying due to the fact he couldn't work, but it was good because now he could catch up on some sleep. Sure, youkai didn't _need_ to sleep, but even Kouga had his limits. He was just coming to from his near coma-like sleep when he heard the sounds of crying and multiple smells attacking his nose, one of them being blood. His eyes shot open, all traces of sleep suddenly leaving his body as he jolted up in bed. He could clearly smell Kagome and was outraged by the scent of rotting flesh and wet soil mixed in with her natural scent, both almost completely hiding it from his sensitive nose. However, there was a new scent lingering with her. The scent of freshly cut grass and honey was almost completely covered up by the scent of fear and overwhelming sadness coming from that person.

Straining his ears, he did his best to assess the situation before bursting out of his room in a rage. He could faintly hear Kagome shushing and cooing at the person who was crying, which now that he was focusing more, sounded like a child. Calming himself, he stepped out of his room and followed the sounds. He walked past the bathroom, noticing that the door was left wide open and the light was on, but no one was in there. He stepped out of the hallway and looked to his right. There he saw Kagome fretting over a small kit, who she had set on the kitchen counter and was placing a couple band-aids on some wounds he had. The kit, meanwhile, was crying into a pelt. His heart sunk.

"Kagome?" The miko whipped around and he tensed at seeing the lingering fear in her eyes.

"Kouga…" she breathed, her eyes brimming with tears.

"What.. what happened?" he asked, stepping closer to the two of them. He walked slowly, arms out with his palms facing the both of them. He kept his body language calm and in check, mostly to reassure the kit that he was no threat.

"I.. I got out of my classes early today due to the weather being so unpredictable. I was walking down the street and passed an ally and heard him crying and.. and there was a youkai and he…" The tears spilled then, and Kagome buried her face in her hands, the stress and weight of the situation fully hitting her now that she was safe and able to process things.

Kouga frowned. Without any hesitation, he pulled Kagome close to him, enveloping her in his arms. One hand rested on her back while the other held the back of her head, smoothing her hair. "It's okay, you're safe. You're both safe now." he whispered. Kagome's body was shaking with the force of her sobs and Kouga had to resist the urge to growl. Whoever this youkai was, Kouga was going to kill him.

 **..::YatM::**..

The trio were now seated at the table in the living area, Kouga having made them lunch. He listened as Kagome told him what happened in detail. He did his best to keep himself from growling, but it was proving difficult, especially when Kagome had described the attack the youkai had almost released on her. Kagome had only felt comfortable sharing this information after the kit had fallen asleep, which was something Kouga could understand. He glanced down at the kit, curled up in his father's pelt on the floor. Kagome followed his gaze, her eyes softening as she looked down at him. She reached out a hand and ran her fingers through his short auburn hair. She smiled softly, glad that he was able to sleep.

"I'm worried about him.. I don't know what that youkai wanted, but he wasn't hesitant on hurting a child." she said, frowning. She looked back up at Kouga then, fear laced in her features and in her scent. "I think we should tell the police. I got a good look at him, and it's possible that he's behind all these crimes." she said, determination evident in her voice.

Kouga nodded. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Want me to call?" he asked. She nodded, turning back to look at the kit.

He let out a sigh and rose from his spot, going to grab his phone out of his room and make the call. After he left, Kagome continued to thread her fingers through the kit's hair. He looked so peaceful… She let out a small sigh and started to gather up the dishes before she got up to go wash them. It didn't take her too long to wash them, but she left them in the drying rack instead of hand drying them. She wanted to get back to the kit, make sure that when he woke up he wouldn't be alone.

Once she was seated and back to keeping a watchful eye on the young fox, Kouga came back into the room. Kagome looked up at him expectantly, watching as he walked towards her and sat down next to her. "They'll be here as soon as they can." he said, keeping his voice low.

She nodded. "Thank you, Kouga."

"Of course, any time." he replied.

She offered him a weak smile before returning her attention back to the kit. Kouga would be lying if he said his chest didn't swell with love at seeing Kagome being so attentive towards the child. He couldn't help but imagine how she would act around the pups in his pack. He could picture it, and it made him smile. His inner beast rumbled in pride and happiness as well. However, he was soon brought out of his thoughts as the kit started to stir.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked up at the two of them. Kagome offered him a warm smile. "Hey there, how are you feeling?" she asked.

"I'm okay.." he mumbled. Kagome reached for him then, carefully picking him up and then setting him on the table, so they were at a more even eye level. They still had to look down at him, but it wasn't so far now.

"Now, why don't you tell us your name?" she asked. The kit clutched the pelt close to his chest, and even Kagome could tell he was nervous. She frowned a bit. "I promise you you're safe now. That youkai isn't going to hurt you again." _Not on my watch…._

"I'm Shippou."

"It's nice to meet you Shippou. I'm Kagome, and this is Kouga." she replied, a smile on her face.

"We've called the police and they'll be on their way shortly. Do you think you'll be able to talk to them?" Kouga asked, keeping his voice low and calm.

Shippou looked between them, fear filling him. "Th-They're not going to take me away, are they?" he asked, tears welling in his eyes.

Kagome's eyes widened and she quickly reached out for the kit, pulling him into her embrace. "Oh no, of course not! You're staying right here with us." she said. Realization seemed to hit her, then. She… should probably discuss this with her roommate… She turned her head to look at Kouga and was surprised at the expression on his face. It looked almost.. _wistful?_ She quirked a questioning brow at him, and that seemed to snap him out of it. A blush stained his cheeks and he simply smiled at her. She smiled back. She would take that as confirmation.. for now at least. She proceeded to comfort Shippou, rubbing his back until his sobs died down.

"It's okay.. you're not going anywhere, and neither are we." she whispered. She was going to protect this kit with her life.

 **..::YatM::**..

Kouga waved as the police left their apartment, walking down the hall. Once they were out of sight, he closed the door and went back into the living area to check on Kagome and Shippou. The retelling of events had been hard for the little kit, but Kagome had provided him a great amount of comfort, and the small fox was able to tell his tale. What he had described made Kouga's blood boil. Essentially, this youkai had broken into their home, and while his father fought off the youkai, Shippou had escaped at his father's command. The youkai had caught up to the kit after killing his father and had rubbed the pelt in his face. When asked about his injuries, Shippou said that he had tripped multiple times due to the slick sidewalk.

Kagome had provided her account after the fox, and then the officers had left. Kouga, more than ever, wanted to track this youkai down and _slaughter_ him. Not only had they put his woman in danger, but attacking another youkai unprovoked? In their own home? It was despicable. It was _cowardly_. Where was the honor in that? There was none. He felt a growl rumble in his chest, and Kouga did his best to calm himself. He didn't want to upset the kit any more. Once he was calm, he stepped into the living area.

He was greeted by the sight of Kagome cuddling with Shippou on the couch that was pushed up against the wall. Her legs were tucked up underneath her and she was holding the kit close. He had his face buried in her neck while she rubbed soothing circles on his back. The scene warmed his heart.

The wolf walked over to them and took up a seat on the couch next to Kagome. She looked up at him then and beamed. The smile melted his heart and he couldn't help but smile back. Her smile and aura were infectious. "So kid, what would you like for dinner?" he asked.

Shippou pulled away from Kagome's neck then, bringing a tiny hand to his chin as he contemplated. "Anything?" he asked.

He chuckled. "Yeah, anything. Whatever you want."

The kit thought about it for a couple moments, and both Kouga and Kagome found it adorable. She was resisting the urge to giggle at how serious he was. After a long moment of deliberating, he looked up at Kouga, a sparkle in his eyes. "Can we get WacDonald's?"

Kouga laughed and ruffled Shippou's hair. "Yeah. I'll go get it, kid." he said.

Shippou beamed and let out a cheer, clearly excited about being able to get his choice of food. Kagome giggled and pulled the kit closer to her chest. The wolf watched the scene and smiled, a warm feeling spreading through his chest.


	6. Chapter Six: Tests

**Shit. Fuck. GOd dammit. I'm so sorry this is late. I lost track of my days,,,,, but hey, that DnD session we had that Wednesday? Fucking INTENSE my dude! Holy fuuuuck. Anyway, sorry it's late, but it's here now and I hope y'all enjoy it!**

* * *

Kagome looked at Kouga and blinked. Had she heard him right? "You wanna walk me to school?" she asked, confusion evident in her voice and scent. When she had been making breakfast that morning for herself and Shippou, she had thought that Kouga was still asleep, seeing as the rain was still here. So, she had been surprised when she heard Shippou call out his name, and then watch him walk into the kitchen. They had chatted idly that morning, and when she had mentioned she should get ready, he got up as well, and now they were here, standing in front of the door.

"Yeah." he replied with a shrug.

Her brows furrowed together in confusion. "Why?"

"I just wanna make sure you get there alright."

That's when it clicked. "Is this because of what happened yesterday?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

He let out a sigh then, running a hand through his hair, pushing his bangs back as he did so. "Can you really blame me, Kagome? You're lucky you're a miko.. If you were just a normal human you would've been killed." he said with a frown.

She returned his frown with one of her own. "I know that, but I didn't, and I'm _fine._ " she said, her frown morphing into a reassuring smile.

His frown remained on his face and he crossed his arms over his chest. She wasn't fooling him, he could smell the fear creeping into her scent. "Kagome..."

She frowned once more. "Kouga.." she replied, getting a bit testy now.

Maybe he should try this from a different approach… He let out a breath, calming himself before speaking. "You said you dropped your umbrella yesterday, right?" She nodded in confirmation, not really trusting herself to speak as of right now. "Well, now we're down to one, and I need to go out and get groceries today. Your school is on the way there, so why not? And when you're done with classes, just text me and I can come back around and walk you back home." he said.

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him. She knew he was hiding his true intentions. She _knew_ he was being protective, possibly overly so. But she could see in his eyes that there would be no arguing with him. Normally, she would try and stand her ground, but she couldn't afford to be late to class. This wasn't high school after all; she had to be on time to ensure she got everything. Letting out a sigh, Kagome gave in with a "Yeah, yeah. Let's just get going already."

He flashed her a wolfish grin and left to go grab Shippou. Once he returned with the kit, they left the apartment. Kouga handed Shippou over to Kagome and took charge of the umbrella, seeing as he was taller. Kagome rolled her eyes, but she gave Shippou a warm smile and a peck to the top of his head. They walked in relative silence, the only noise coming from the rainfall and their feet splashing in the puddles. About halfway there, Shippou struggled to get out of Kagome's arms, carrying on about wanting to play in the puddles. Kagome eventually gave in, laughing as he took off as soon as his feet touched the ground.

"He's going to need a bath later." she said quietly, still giggling and watching as Shippou kept ahead of them, splashing in the puddles.

"Yeah.." Kouga replied, chuckling a bit himself.

Now that they were somewhat alone, the wolf felt like it would be a good time to bring up what had been on his mind all night. The attack Kagome had experienced yesterday had kept Kouga up all night. At one point, he had left their apartment to prowl around the entire complex, trying to see if he could catch anything that smelled off. He had eventually called one of his betas, Ginta, and told him about what happened and to keep the pack on high alert. He had started to receive a teasing from his beta, but you see… the great thing about cell phones is that you can just hang up on someone if they're annoying you. And that's precisely what Kouga did as soon as he heard the shift in Ginta's tone.

He still had his concerns and worries though, of course. He wanted to make sure Kagome was safe, but he couldn't spend every waking hour with her, even though he really wanted to. So, he had spent a good portion of the night thinking, not able to get any sleep. After hours of thinking, he had come to a conclusion he hoped that Kagome could agree with and not try to fight him on. Sucking in a breath, he built up his courage and forced his emotions, and inner beast, down.

"I did some thinking last night.." Kagome turned to look at him then, though her eyes kept darting to check on the small kit running in front of them. "I think that you should find someone to train you to use your abilities." he said cautiously. He knew there was only one of two ways this conversation could turn.

Kagome thought about this for a moment. He had a valid point… She had wanted to hone her powers but had never really gotten the chance. Her nose scrunched up in distaste as she remembered her grandfather trying to teach her. Boy, that had turned out _poorly_. She should have known better, seeing as how all his charms didn't work. Kouga watched her reaction in fascination, not fully expecting the look she currently had on her face. He wasn't too sure what to make of it, but he found it endearing, and kinda funny.

He couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "What's with that face?"

"Just remembering how my grandfather tried to teach me. It ended _horribly._ "

"Oh?"

"Yeah! Like, I honestly should've known better. None of the charms he sold at the shrine worked. _Nothing_ of his worked! Everything I know now is either by pure accident, or something I taught myself, because of a previous accident."

Kouga couldn't stop the laugh that rumbled out of his chest. Kagome's cheeks heated, and she pouted at him. "Look, I think I've done pretty well for being self-taught." He did his best to calm himself, and once he was, he gave her a smile, one that caused her heart to skip a beat.

"I'm sorry Kagome, I didn't mean any harm by it." he said, a hint of laughter still in his voice. "You _have_ done really well for only teaching yourself. But some professional training would do you some good. We youkai may not be as abundant or hold as much power as we used to, but we're still strong, and some of us are violent." he added.

"I know that.." she mumbled, a frown on her face.

"I know you do. And I'm sorry if I'm buggin' ya about it, but I just want you to be safe, Kagome. What happened yesterday was scary.. and we don't know if that youkai is coming back or not." She nodded, eyes fixated on Shippou. "I can look around today, if you'd like." he offered. She looked up at him then, her eyes searching his. It caused Kouga to blush, but he maintained eye contact.

After a few moments, Kagome let out a sigh. "Yeah.. I'd appreciate that." she said, giving him a small smile.

Kouga grinned. "Alright. Hopefully I'll have something for ya by the end of the day."

Not too long after that, they arrived at the school. The trio said their goodbyes, Shippou receiving a hug and a kiss on his cheek from Kagome, and then they went their separate ways. Kouga kept a close watch on Shippou as they made their way to the grocery store. However, his thoughts were elsewhere. The wolf was racking his brain trying to think of a place to find a miko that could help Kagome. Shrines were always a good bet, he guessed.. but he always felt weird going to them. He knew, though, that he would most likely need to get over this in order to find someone to train Kagome. He let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. Today was going to be a _long_ day…

 **..::YatM::..**

Kagome let out a sigh as she plopped down in a seat in the lobby-like area of the school building. That test had been brutal, but Kagome felt confident thanks to all her studying. Kagome had never really done well with school, so she wasn't really sure _what_ exactly compelled her to study for one of the most intensive and rigorous careers there were, but hey! At least she was doing well here as compared to high school! It also helped that she had a friend here to study with if necessary. Just as that thought crossed her mind, she heard footsteps heading her way and looked up to see Eri.

The miko grinned at her friend and waved her over. Eri rushed over to her and sat down across from her, letting out a long sigh. "Man, that test was _brutal._ "

Kagome let out a humorless laugh. "Yeah, tell me about it."

"How do you think you did?"

"I'm actually feeling pretty good about this one."

Eri grinned at that. "That's great Kagome!"

"Yeah. What about you?"

Eri gave a vague sound, accompanied by a shrug. Kagome couldn't help but laugh. "Well, you ready to go to lunch?" Eri asked with an eye roll, but there was a hint of humor hidden in her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm starving." the miko replied. With that, the two stood up and left to go to a nearby café.

"Oh yeah, I've got a bit of a surprise for you when we get there." Kagome quirked a brow at this, but Eri placed a finger over her lips and gave Kagome a wink. "You gotta wait!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" she said with an eyeroll.

It didn't take them too long to get to the café, as it was just a short walk off campus. Eri had an ear-splitting grin the entire walk, and it was making Kagome anxious to see just what her friend had in store for her. Once at the entrance to the café, Eri closed the umbrella and shook off the rain. "Alright, let's go!" she said, the giddiness influencing Kagome. The miko grinned and stepped into the shop.

She stopped dead in her tracks. "No way…." Her eyes were wide in shock for several moments, but soon the shock wore off and she beamed. "Ayumi! Yuka!"

The miko dashed over to the table where her other two friends were seated, and a chorus of giggles erupted from the group of four. It had been at _least_ a year since Kagome had seen them. It didn't take long for all four of them to fall into easy chatter and banter, picking up where they had last left off. They ordered their drinks and food, Ayumi and Yuka looking at Kagome in concern as she ordered a large frappuccino with extra caramel and whipped cream and four shots of espresso. Eri simply laughed and ordered close to the same thing, only hers had 1 espresso shot and triple whipped cream.

"You're just gonna crash really hard in the middle of your next test today with all that sugar." Kagome teased.

"Oh, like the espresso is any different, Kagome!" she teased back, jabbing her fingers into Kagome's ribs. "And you got just as much sugar as me! So that's a double whammy on your end!" Kagome rolled her eyes at Eri and swatted her hands away.

Their food and drinks soon arrived, and the girls wasted no time in starting their meal. They spent their time catching up, taking turns to make things easier. It went around the table like that, and Kagome was enraptured in hearing about her friends' lives. Ayumi had already graduated college and was doing really well as an Interpreter. She pretty much always had work, so she was fairly secure financially. Yuka was doing well at the studio she was working in. She wasn't an anchor yet, but she was getting there, and she was confident she'd be getting a promotion soon. Kagome, of course, already knew what was going on in Eri's life, and so soon it was her turn.

"Well.. I got a new place recently because Sango and Miroku got engaged." There was a chorus of "oh"s at that, and after answering a few questions about her two friends, things were brought back to her new apartment. "It's not too far from the school, so it's perfect!"

"Oh wow.. that must've been so expensive.." Ayumi said, concern clear in her voice.

"Yeah, kinda. I had to put out an ad for a roommate." Kagome replied with a bit of a laugh.

"Wow!" "Really?" "Oh my gosh.."

"Yeah.."

"So who is it?" "Yeah, tell us Kagome!"

Kagome's skin suddenly felt hot. "Well….." The three leaned in closer, which just made Kagome blush more. She let out a sigh. She'd have to come out with it.. "His name is Kouga, and he's a wolf youkai." she mumbled. Their chorus of gasps was followed by a small moment of silence, all three staring at Kagome wide-eyed. Then she was bombarded by a million different questions. _Gods_ , this was worse than when Sango had interrogated her… "C-Calm down, please. I can't hear a thing you're saying!" she said, laughing nervously. Suddenly Kagome wanted this lunch to be over with already.

"Tell us more about him, Kagome!" Yuka demanded.

"Yeah, give us all the details." Eri added, a smirk on her face.

Kagome was beet red now. "I-It's nothing like that! _Jeeze…_ It's really not that big of a deal, you guys. Out of the people who answered, he was the best option. That's all I'm gonna say on the matter."

"Oh come on, Kagome." "Yeah, you can't leave us hanging like that." "It's not fair, we told _you_ everything!"

Kagome checked her phone then, desperately looking for a way out of this. "Oh! Well would you look at that, time for me to go study! I'll see you at the school Eri!" Before her friends could react, Kagome was reaching for her frapp and she was out the door and making her way back to the campus. The rain was super light, so it didn't really affect her that much. She loved her friends to death, truly she did, but _**gods**_ she couldn't stand them sometimes.

She was soon back on campus and making a beeline for the library so she could study in peace. She needed to make sure she knew everything before this test, as it was another big one and she was _certain_ that it would also be a doozy. She found a table in a small, quiet corner of the library and sat down. She pulled out her textbooks and notes and set to work.

 **..::YatM::..**

Kagome finished typing up her text to Kouga, hit the send button, then locked her phone with a sigh, slipping the device into her pocket. The test had been rough, just as she had expected it would be. Oh how she wished that her professors would stagger their tests out so there weren't multiple on the same day. That wish was but a fever dream, sadly. Kagome leaned back against the wall, having chosen to stand outside as she waited for the wolf to show up. She actually liked the rain, the sounds were soothing, and the air was nice and cool.

The miko was soon joined by a disgruntled looking Eri, clearly starting to crash from both her sugar and caffeine high. Thankfully, Kagome was still going strong. She flashed the miko a weak smile, which Kagome returned. "You good, Kagome?"

"Yeah, I'm alright."

"Want me to walk you home? I know you don't have an umbrella." she offered, a smirk on her face. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine, Kouga's coming to get me."

"Oh, well maybe I'll stay then!" Kagome gave her a half-hearted shove, causing her friend to laugh. "Okay, okay I get it. You'll let us know when you're good and ready."

"Thank you." Kagome breathed out, placing a hand on her chest in relief.

Eri giggled a bit. "I'll see ya later, Kagome."

"See you later, Eri."

With that, Eri opened her umbrella, the two waved at each other, and then Eri was gone. Kagome let out a small sigh of relief and pulled her phone out of her pocket. Kouga had texted her back.

 **Be there shortly.**

She smiled and quickly tapped out a reply.

 **Okay! I'll be outside** (´ ∀ ` *)

And with that, her phone was back in her pocket and she was left to wait. As she did, she mentally scheduled the rest of her night. She wanted to read ahead a bit to see what they would be covering and get notes ready for the finals that would be coming up soon. Gods.. finals week… She should probably warn Kouga, she was going to be a _mess_. She didn't want him to worry about her, though a part of her knew he would anyway. She chuckled a bit at the thought. He was so protective.. but she supposed he _had_ to be, since he was the alpha and all… She wanted to ask him more questions about his pack, but she had just been so busy with her schoolwork, and then the events of yesterday… she figured it would be a bit hard to find some alone time with him, now that Shippou was here with them. Though… what would be the harm in discussing these things in front of him?

Well, in the end, the decision would be up to Kouga. There wasn't even a guarantee that he would _want_ to tell her anything. Sure, he's been pretty open so far, but she didn't know if there were any sort of.. _secrets_ or anything like that. She didn't want to accidentally cross a line and possibly upset the youkai. She shook the thoughts from her mind. No sense in stressing herself over it now. She needed to focus on planning out the rest of her night.. and the next two weeks, for that matter.

By the time Kagome was finalizing the map of the schedule she had made in her head, she heard Shippou before she saw him running towards her. She grinned and crouched down, opening her arms just in time for the kit to run into them. She scooped him up then, holding him close to her chest as she squeezed him tight for several moments. "Hey there, Shippou." She looked up and saw Kouga watching them, an amused look on his face. "Hey Kouga."

"Hey. You ready to get going?" he asked.

"Yeah, let's go." With that, she stepped towards him and joined him under the umbrella.

Shippou turned in Kagome's arms then to look at her. "We went walking around a lot today." he said.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. It took us a while, but we found someone who might be able to help you!" he beamed up at her. Kagome smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

"Is that so? Well, thank you very much." She looked over at Kouga then. "Who is it?"

"Her name's Kikyo."

"Kikyo?" If this was the Kikyo she thought it was… this _may_ be a small problem. "What did she look like?"

"Well, we didn't get to meet her. We got her information from her younger sister, Kaede." Kagome let out a bit of a sigh. Yep.. this might be difficult.


	7. Chapter Seven: Training

If there's any mistakes I'll fix them later in the week when I'm actually home. Until then... *slaps this down*

*books it*

* * *

Kagome looked at the steps leading up to the shrine, biting her lip. It was finally the weekend, or well, Friday technically, but that was neither here nor there. The rain had finally let up yesterday, so Kouga was off to work again, and Kagome was here, psyching herself up to go up the stairs and to the shrine. Shippou was by her side, looking from the miko to the stairs and back again. His eyebrows knitted together in concern.

"You okay, Kagome?" he asked.

That snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked down at him and gave him a warm smile. "Yeah. Let's get going, Shippou."

She held her arms out then and the small kit jumped up into them. She held him close, sucked in a breath, and then started her journey up the stairs. Thankfully, she was used to this sort of trek. It had been a while since she had to make it, but with all of her years living at a shrine, she was able to climb the stairs with relative ease. They soon reached the top of the stairs, and Kagome allowed Shippou to hop out of her arms. She took a look around, taking in her surroundings. It was pretty much your typical shrine, with quite a few trees around. Standing in front of the shrine, was a young girl, likely in her teens, in traditional miko garb, sweeping up some fallen leaves. Her black hair was pulled back and tied so it would stay out of her face.

Kagome pushed back her nerves and put on a smile as she walked forward. "Hello, I'm here to see Kikyo?"

She looked up at Kagome. "May I ask who you are?"

"I'm Kagome Higurashi. My friend Kouga stopped by earlier this week."

"Ahh.." she said, a sense of clarity dawning on her face. "I'll go fetch her." She gave one last sweep at the leaves, pushing them into the grass, before she left.

Kagome turned to watch Shippou then. The kit was running around and checking things out. She giggled as she watched him. The kit hadn't been in her life for that long, but she would do _anything_ for him, and protect him at any cost. She continued to watch him play around as she fixed her ponytail. It was pretty warm and humid now that the rain had left. She'd be lying if she said it wasn't muggy and miserable. She was dressed in dark blue high waisted shorts and a white crop top with a V-neck cut and a pink rose print on it. The miko had also done her best to dress Shippou appropriately for the weather, even though he said the heat didn't bother him that much. But she made sure he dressed appropriately in shorts and a tank top. His tail swished behind him as he stalked a beetle, and Kagome was enraptured by the scene until she heard someone behind her clear their throat.

She turned around and was greeted by a familiar face, one that didn't seem too pleased to see her. Kagome smiled nervously at her. "Kikyo. It's a pleasure to see you again."

Kikyo scoffed. "Yes. A pleasure." She smiled, but Kagome knew it was fake.

Kagome licked her lips and began to fiddle with her fingers. No. She shouldn't show any nervousness in front of her. It was time to bury the hatchet. "Look.. I know that things are… _tense_ and awkward between us, but I need your help. _Please._ "

Kikyo considered this for a moment. Could they really put their past behind them and work together? Well… she figured it couldn't hurt. She didn't necessarily _hate_ Kagome, but she didn't care for her. "I suppose we can."

Kagome smiled and clapped her hands together. "I can't thank you enough! This really means a lot."

Kikyo rolled her eyes and motioned for her fellow miko to follow her. Kagome called for Shippou, and the small kit perked up. He looked torn for a moment, but eventually left the beetle behind and chased after her. The trio moved towards the back of the shrine, where there were a couple targets for archery and a dummy that was being set up by Kaede. Kikyo turned towards them then, a stern look on her face. Kagome stopped in her tracks while Shippou took off to stand closer to the shrine, one so he could be in the shade, and two so he could be safe from the bursts of reiki he knew would be coming.

"Show me what you're capable of, miko." Kikyo said, her eyes narrowed.

Kagome stuck her tongue in her cheek, holding back a snide comment. She couldn't afford to mess this up. "Sure thing."

With that, she showcased what she could do. It wasn't really anything special. The miko was, again, self-taught and all she had discovered had been by accident. Really, the only thing Kagome could show was the little bit of control she had over her reiki. She channeled her reiki into the palm of her hand, curling her fingers around the magic and threw it at the dummy that Kaede had set up earlier. The blast was strong, but short lived. Biting her lip, Kagome turned to looked over at Kikyo, shrugging at her and thus signaling she was done. The miko watched her with a critical eye and let out a sigh.

"You have potential. You're a very strong miko with strong reiki, but it's obvious you have no training." Kagome narrowed her eyes at that. "How fast you learn will determine how long we train. That, and how well you perform in our training. We'll start today and practice every weekend."

"Alright, let's get started." Kagome said, determination clear in her voice and expression. Kikyo smirked. She had to admit, she always admired Kagome's spirit.

 **..::YatM::..**

Kagome let out a sigh as she exited the station and began walking to the apartment. She had been out training until night fell. It was tough and rigorous, but she felt that she was already improving, and Kikyo seemed to agree. It made her chest swell with pride. Imagine that. _Kikyo_ , believing in _her_. Kagome was shocked, but _gods_ was she giddy with this information! She continued to walk down the street, a huge grin on her face. Shippou was asleep in her arms, having passed out about an hour ago. She'd have to wake him up for dinner.. which they were late for, seeing as it was close to 8 pm.

As she walked down the street, she walked by a grocery store. She almost walked past it, but quickly turned around and went inside. She had a lot of homework to do, and she was going to need to be caffeinated. And well… she wanted to get Shippou some treats. He has been so well behaved, and she wanted to spoil him a little. Plus she still felt bad about what he went through. So, she went in and grabbed three cans of energy drinks, and two bottled coffees. She then went to the candy aisle and picked up a package of gummy candies, Pocky, and lollipops. Satisfied with what she had, she went to the counter and paid for them. She shifted the kit in her arms before she took the bags off the counter and then went outside to continue her journey to the apartment.

Thankfully, it didn't take too long for them to reach the apartment. She struggled a bit with shifting her bags and Shippou around to get to her purse. She was about to give up and just set the bags on the ground when the door opened. She looked up, a bit surprised, and was greeted by a worried-looking Kouga.

"Hey. You're running late." he said, trying to be humorous but he wasn't fooling her.

He took the bags from her as she stepped into the apartment and she flashed him a small smile. "Yeah, sorry. I guess I forgot to text you that I'd be late. Kikyo just kind of sprung training on me and it went on for longer than expected." she said with a shrug. She toed off her shoes and shifted Shippou in her arms, who was still passed out.

"Well, I can reheat dinner for you real quick." he offered.

"I'd appreciate that, thank you." she replied, beaming at him.

He nodded and quickly made a bee-line for the kitchen, moving quickly so she wouldn't notice his blush. Kagome slowly walked into the apartment, waking Shippou up softly. The kit eventually opened his eyes and grumbled. She giggled as she set him down and watched as he rubbed his eyes. It wasn't too long before Kouga was coming over to them with their dinner. They both thanked the wolf and began to eat their meal. He sat down with them, smiling in content.

"So, how'd the training go?" he asked.

"Pretty well. Kikyo says I have a lot of potential, but it may take a while for me to get to a decent level." she replied. She was still reeling a bit from the compliments coming from the other miko. It was… _odd._

Kouga nodded at this. "How often is this going to be?"

"Every weekend, so I'll be going back tomorrow. I probably won't be back until the same time."

"How are you going to balance all of this?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing together in concern.

"Well… I'll be pulling more all-nighters than usual, but it'll be fine." she replied, waving off his concern and giving him a reassuring smile.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Kagome." Shippou said, a frown on his face. The little kit's input had surprised both Kagome and Kouga, and they looked down at him for a couple moments. "Am I wrong?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I have to agree with the kid. You're going to work yourself to death, Kagome. Maybe you should only train twice a week instead."

"No. I can do this. I'll be fine, you'll see." she said, voice getting a bit stern. She didn't want to argue about this. Not right now. She needed to eat and then get to work on her homework. She was going to have less time to spend on it now, so every minute counted.

Kouga let out a sigh. He didn't feel like arguing right now, he'd had a long day at work and he just wanted some peace. "Alright, fine."

Kagome gave a curt nod at that, grateful that the subject was being dropped. She quickly finished eating her food, and once Shippou was done, she gathered up their dishes and took them into the kitchen to wash. As she did that, Kouga picked up the small kit and took him to Kagome's room so he could get ready for bed. Shippou usually slept with Kagome, but sometimes he would sleep with Kouga, depending on how late Kagome stayed up. Even though Shippou wanted to be with Kagome tonight, he had a feeling that the kit would be coming into his room later that night.

"I'm worried about Kagome.."

Kouga looked down at the small kit, tucking him into the bed. He frowned a bit as well. "Me too, kid. But we're here to take care of her. We'll stop her before it gets too bad." he said, giving Shippou a reassuring smile.

"Yeah." he replied, beaming up at the wolf. It warmed his heart.

He ruffled the kit's hair, and the two said their goodnights before Kouga left the room and went to his. Kouga fully realized that Kagome was her own woman and she could live her life however she wanted, but she still needed to take care of herself more. A part of him wanted to regret telling her to start training, but he knew deep down that this would help her in the long run. They still hadn't heard anything about the youkai that had attacked her and Shippou. Kouga knew he'd never be able to live with himself if something happened to either of them. He let out a sigh and shook his head as he closed his bedroom door behind him. It would do him no good to think about this right now. With that, he walked over to his bed and plopped down on it, turning on the lamp on his bedside table and opening up a book. It was best to try and clear his mind for the night.

 **..::YatM::..**

Kagome panted, sweat dripping down her forehead as she bent over, placing her hands on her knees. Kikyo was working her hard, and the sweltering heat wasn't helping. It wasn't too long before Kagome had plopped down on the ground, fanning herself. It was her second weekend training with Kikyo, and the miko was exhausted. She had been pulling a lot of late nights, usually staying up until four in the morning, and her training sessions with Kikyo began at 10 am sharp and usually lasted until 8. Despite all of this, Kagome had somehow managed to keep her grades intact and only missed 2 homework assignments. She was fairly proud of herself in that aspect.

"Get up, there's no time for breaks." Her training however….

"Just.. give me a moment.. please." Kagome pleaded. The miko was a slave driver, and Kagome really only needed a couple more seconds.

Kikyo narrowed her eyes at Kagome, crossing her arms into her sleeves. "Fine. But as soon as you're able, we're getting back to work."

Kagome nodded and continued to sit there, leaning back on her hands. She should probably move out of the sun, but she couldn't find it in herself to move. She was so _tired._ Shippou watched the scene from in the shade, shoving his lollipop back into his mouth to prevent a frown. In his weeks staying with Kagome and Kouga, the kit had started to come around to seeing the miko as a mother figure. Watching her struggle made him worry about her, but so far there hadn't been a chance for him to voice his concerns to her. Any time Kouga tried, she immediately shot them down by either snapping at him or just leaving the room. The miko was quite stubborn, but even the kit could see that her stubbornness, at this point, would only lead to her getting harmed.

It wasn't long before Kagome was picking herself up off the ground. She let out a grunt as she did so, then walked over towards where Shippou was sitting to grab her water bottle. She took a long chug from it, drinking close to half the bottle in one go. She then screwed the cap back on and gave a small stretch before walking back over to Kikyo.

"Are you ready now?"

"Yeah, let's go."

With that, they continued her training well into the night. Once the sun had set and the moon began to rise, Kikyo finally allowed Kagome to stop. The miko collapsed to the ground once more. Using her powers continuously like this for so long was taxing on her. She hoped that with the continuation of her training, the easier it would be for her to use her reiki without draining herself. Shippou quickly approached her, carrying her water bottle that he had refilled earlier. She thanked him as she took it from the kit and took a long drink.

"You did well today, Kagome. You still have quite a way to go, but you're getting there. I'll see you next weekend."

"See you next weekend, Kikyo." Kagome replied, dipping her head slightly in a mock-bow. She would've actually bowed if it wouldn't have taken so much out of her.. and if she were standing.

Kikyo let out a small hum and then walked away from the two, head held high. Kagome was tempted to stick her tongue out at the miko, but the woman seemed to have some sort of sixth sense, so she didn't. Instead, she simply rolled her eyes and took another sip of water. She soon stood up from her spot on the ground and smiled down at Shippou.

"You ready to go?" she asked. He nodded, then the two gathered their things and left the shrine. They slowly made their way home, Kagome holding Shippou when they rode the train. On the way back, they stopped back in the small convenience store on the way to the apartment, where Kagome picked up more coffee, energy drinks, and candy for the kit. They soon left the shop and continued on their way home. The poor little kit was tired and ready to get some sleep, but he would need to eat first.

As soon as Kagome stepped in front of the door, it opened, revealing Kouga. They fell into their routine they had unknowingly established over the weekends. Kouga greeted them, taking the bag from Kagome while she took her shoes off. He went and heated up dinner for them while the two settled in. They discussed their days over their meal, and then Kouga was going in and putting Shippou to bed while Kagome did the dishes. Once she finished up the dishes, she grabbed the drinks she bought, and made her way into her room. Once in there, she changed out of her clothes and into her pajamas. Then, she then pulled her hair up into a bun, went over to her desk, and began to work on her homework.

She worked for about 45 minutes before deciding to take a break. She let out a sigh and set down her pencil. She reached over for one of her bottles of coffee, shaking it before unscrewing the cap and taking a swig. She put the cap back on and then swiveled in her chair, taking a look around her room. After her second day of training, Shippou had made the decision to stay in Kouga's room on the weekends. She frowned slightly at this. She knew that the kit needed his rest, but she missed him. However, that could possibly be some kind of maternal instinct that had welled up inside her whenever it came to the wellbeing of the little fox youkai.

Kagome let out a sigh as the silence deafened her. She reached for one of the drawers of her desk and pulled out a pair of earbuds. She plugged them into her phone and popped them into her ears, then scrolled through her music. Settling on a good playlist, she smiled and picked her pencil back up and got down to business.


	8. Chapter Eight: Finals

Yo, so.. sorry I didn't update yesterday, but it's here today! I had plans that were made that I forgot about, but y'know. That happens sometimes. In other news, I've made a Ko-Fi and the info is on my profile! I'm also thinking about setting up commissions soon to help with life and stuff so yea. I guess, let me know if that's something you'd be interested in, and when I get all the info down that I want, I'll let you all know in the next update, and things will also be posted to my Tumblr, which is also on my profile.

So yeah, I'm done blabbering your ear off, hope you enjoy the update! :D

* * *

Finals week was finally upon them. Eri and Kagome were at their wits end. They had been studying together for a solid week, but the two girls were still nervous. Of course, they were grateful they were going to get a break from school after this, but _gods_ if the stress wasn't awful. The two were currently sitting in the on-campus café, chugging down coffee and flipping through their notes. After a few moments, Kagome let out a groan, running her hands through her hair in frustration. "Gods why is this so _stressful?_ " she whined.

"It's alright Kagome, we can get through this." Eri replied, giving her a reassuring smile. Kagome continued to whine and leaned down, resting her forehead on the table. Eri let out a small sigh and brought a hand up to pat her on the shoulder. "Why don't we take a break? We've been going at this for a while."

"But our test is in an hour!" Kagome's head shot up, a look of fear and stress in her eyes.

"Exactly. _An hour._ We have plenty of time to take a break. You don't wanna wear yourself out beforehand, then you won't do well on it."

The miko knew she had a point. Maybe she should listen to her this time around.. Kagome let out a sigh. "Alright, fine…" she mumbled, closing her notebooks.

Eri grinned and closed hers as well. The two agreed to set an alarm on Kagome's phone so that way they could start studying again at a decent time before they had to go in and take their final. "Alright, so, why don't you tell me how things have been going at home, with Kouga?" she asked, a sly smirk on her face.

Kagome blushed. "Gods, _this again?_ " Eri simply winked and the miko let out a sigh. "Things are alright, nothing more than the usual, I guess." she said with a shrug. "I mean, we're becoming closer friends I guess."

"Closer _how?_ "

"Oh my god, Eri!" Eri let out a hearty laugh and Kagome buried her face in her hands. "Why are all my friends like this?" Kagome lamented.

"Oh come on, Kagome. I'm just joking." she said through her giggles. "Okay, okay, okay. How about this? Tell me about that little fox youkai, how's he doing?"

Kagome instantly perked up a bit at that. "Shippou? Oh, he's just a little angel!" she beamed. Kagome then started to blabber on about the kit and Eri grinned as her friend did so. She had learned that it was easy to get the miko to relax if she simply brought up the kit. Eri was never bothered by it; she loved to hear about Shippou. "And he's been so good whenever I go to the shrine to train and-"

"Training? You never mentioned training to me before." Eri said, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Oh.. well uh… Kouga suggested I go train with another miko to learn how to better control my reiki and well…."

"Well?"

Kagome fidgeted as she tried to find the best way to say this. "Well, it's Kikyo."

Eri's eyes widened. "Kikyo? As in _the_ Kikyo?" Kagome could only nod. "Woah…. How is that working?" she asked, concern in her voice.

"Surprisingly well, actually. She's a bit cold, but she's not outright malicious. She's actually been complimenting me on my capabilities."

"Oh wow.. that's…. _amazing_."

"Isn't it?"

Kagome was about to elaborate more, but then her alarm went off. Eri groaned and Kagome rolled her eyes. "Alright, we can talk about this later. Let's get ready for this final." Eri reluctantly agreed, and the two opened their notes once again and got back to studying. They studied until they had about 5 minutes to get to class. They quickly packed their things away and made their way up to their classroom.

"Gods, I can't wait for this break."

"Yeah, me too. It'll definitely make it easier to train." Eri groaned at her friend.

"You work too hard, Kagome. You need to take some time to relax."

"Hey! I've been relaxing!" she defended. Eri raised a questioning brow at her. The miko bit her lip nervously. "A little…" When Eri continued to refuse to believe her, Kagome let out a groan. "Fine, fine! I'll try to relax more. Jeeze.. everyone is always on me about that."

"Because we care, and we don't want to see you run yourself into an early grave."

Kagome let out a sigh at that. "I know…" She ran a hand through her hair. She hated making people worry about her… "Alright, let's drop this for now. I don't want to forget everything we studied."

"Okay." Eri said with a giggle. And with that, they were entering their classroom and getting ready for the test.

 **..::YatM::..**

Kagome and Eri said their goodbyes as they left the school, heading in separate directions. The two were exhausted, but they were done for the day. They only had a couple more tests, but after that they would finally be done. As Kagome left the campus, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and texted Kouga.

 **Done for the day, heading home.**

She began her trek home, which would be quick thanks to her bike. It was quite humid that day, but the forecast was calling for rain later that night. Kagome was hopeful that the rain would cool things down, though she was positive that would just ensure more humidity later on. Honestly, it was a lose/lose type deal, but it was one she was willing to deal with. She let out a bit of a sigh and ran a hand through her bangs, lifting them off her forehead for a couple seconds before letting them fall back down. She couldn't wait to get back to the apartment and sit and relax with the A/C on.

Thankfully, she arrived at the apartment fairly quickly. She locked up her bike in the bike rack and made her way up the stairs. She fiddled around with her keys for a moment as she walked down the hall, then turned to face the door and unlocked it. She stepped inside, letting out a sigh as she closed the door behind her and locked it. "I'm home!" she said, taking her shoes off.

"Kagome! Welcome home!"

A grin spread across the miko's face as Shippou came running up to her. She pushed her shoes against the wall and turned just in time to see the small kit charging towards her. She opened her arms and caught him, holding him close to her chest. She pressed a kiss to the top of his head before reaching a hand up and ruffling the auburn locks.

"Hey there, Shippou. How was your day?" she asked.

"It was good! Kouga took me to the park." he answered happily. Kagome giggled as he chattered on about the park and how much fun he had. She walked further into the house, carrying Shippou in her arms and smiled at Kouga, who was sitting near the TV. The wolf smiled back at her and let out a chuckle as the kit continued to talk about the game he was playing with the other kids at the park.

The miko set her things down against one of the walls and then made her way into the kitchen. She set Shippou onto the counter and went through the fridge, pulling out ingredients so she could get started on dinner. Shippou sat surprisingly still on the countertop. He continued to ramble on, waving his hands around in excitement as he spoke, spinning his tale and using his hand motions to exaggerate some of his words. Kagome giggled as she washed the rice, the motions soothing her frayed nerves from her finals earlier in the day. Once the rice was washed, she put it in the rice cooker, filling it up with water and letting it soak as she prepared everything else. She reached for the cutting board and set some of the vegetables on it. This drew Shippou out of his storytelling as he watched Kagome chop in awe.

"Hey Kagome, can I try?" he asked. She looked over at the kit for a moment before smiling softly at him.

"Sure, come on over and I'll show you how."

Shippou beamed up at her and rushed over to where she was. Kagome laughed at his enthusiasm. She pushed the cutting board back a bit so Shippou could stand in front of her. She then set about instructing him on how to chop up the vegetables. Placing her hands over his, she helped him make the first couple cuts, then let him do a couple more on his own.

"You're doing really well Shippou! I'm proud of you." Kagome pressed a kiss to the top of his head and watched Shippou carefully. After a couple moments, the kit was done and left the rest to Kagome. She then returned to prepping everything while Shippou picked up where he left off with his story. She listened to him intently, nodding and chiming in every now and then, mostly words that encouraged him to continue. Soon, though, he was done telling his story and he let out a dramatic breath.

"So, that was my day today." he said.

"Oh wow, sounds like you had a really fun and eventful day, Shippou." she replied with a giggle.

Shippou beamed up at her, then turned to face her better. "How about your day, Kagome?"

Kagome paused for a moment at this, but quickly resumed her prep work, turning on the rice cooker. "It was about the same as usual. I've got my last two tests tomorrow, and then I'll be able to spend more time with you!" she said, grinning at Shippou. She knew she'd have to word things carefully, so as not to worry the small kit, or the wolf she was almost _certain_ was listening in. "I think I did pretty well on it, and I'm sure I'll do good on the last two. I just need some extra time to study." she added.

Shippou nodded thoughtfully at this. Kagome laughed and told him to not look so serious, then set about to start cooking their meal. Once she started cooking, Shippou hopped off the counter and joined Kouga at the TV. The fox didn't want to disturb the miko while she cooked. He figured it was fine while she was prepping, but he knew that cooking would require most of her attention. The news was currently on, and while it mostly bored the kit, he did his best to listen in.

After Shippou and Kagome had been attacked, Kouga had been playing close attention to the news. The wolf had been anxious about Kagome going off to school alone, but he knew he would just drive her crazy if he were to walk her every day. Besides, it appeared that the youkai attacks had stopped, at least for the time being. The sudden thunderstorms that had been sweeping across Japan had stopped, and so had youkai crime. Despite this, Kouga couldn't shake the bad feeling he had. His inner beast yelled at him to protect his potential mate and the kit she had taken under her wing, but that was easier said than done. It was pretty easy to coo over Shippou, but when it came to Kagome well… he just did whatever he could.

Kouga had been going on nightly walks around the apartment complex when he was certain both Kagome and Shippou were asleep. He prowled around, making sure nothing suspicious was going on, and sometimes he even had some of his packmates come and stand guard. He had also made sure to tell his pack that if they happened to be out and ran into Kagome's path, they were to keep an eye on her and make sure she was safe before they were to carry on with their business. He had received a bit of a teasing from them, but he would endure anything if it meant Kagome would be safe.

Once the news started to cycle over their stories once more, Kouga began to flip through the channels, something Shippou was grateful for. Eventually settling on a kids' show that the kit took interest in, he set the remote back down on the table and watched the young youkai for a couple moments. He had grown to care deeply for Shippou, treating the kit how he would his own pup, if he had any. He was certain that would change one day, and he hoped that Kagome would be the one to mother his pups. The thought caused his chest to swell, but before he could expand upon the thought, Kagome was entering the room with their dinner.

The miko set down the rice bowls first, the chopsticks quick to follow. She then left to grab their main course, quick to return with it. Shippou let out a gleeful cheer, seeing that Kagome had made one of his favorite dishes: chicken katsu. However, she had added some stir-fried vegetables, just to give them all a bit more to eat.

Kagome giggled and ruffled Shippou's hair. "I thought you'd be happy." The kit simply beamed at her, then the three began to eat. They chatted idly with each other, their conversation light and happy. Every now and then, the trio would comment on what was happening on the show. It wasn't until they were almost done with their meal that Kouga remembered something he should probably bring up to Kagome.

"Hey uh, Kagome?" She turned her head to look at him, a hint of laughter still in her eyes and smile from the scene that had just been playing on the screen. "So, when your tests are over and we both have some free time, the pack would love to meet you, Shippou as well." he said, looking down at the kit and giving him a smile.

"Oh really?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing together ever so slightly in thought.

"Yeah, it's taken a lot for me to keep them from busting down the door the same day we moved in together." he added with a laugh. He wasn't lying about that either. The day after they met up and signed the lease, his pack had bombarded him with questions and were smelling him all over to try and memorize the scent of her that still lingered on him. They had practically begged to come help him move in and he had all but snapped at them. It was obvious he was smitten with her, so of course the pack was curious to see who had captured their alpha's heart after just one meeting. He had thankfully been able to soothe them with a promise of meeting her one day when they were free. Now it was drawing close to three months and his pack was starting to get antsy again.

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem once finals are over tomorrow. I'll be free until next semester. Well, I'll have a couple days here and there taken up by seeing friends and family of course, but you know what I'm getting at." she said with a bit of a giggle.

Kouga let out a chuckle and nodded. "Alright, I'm sure they'll be happy to hear they get to meet you soon." He was going to have to have a discussion with them beforehand, however. He wouldn't stand for them making her uncomfortable or revealing his feelings for her. It may just prove to be the most stressful night of his life…

 **..::YatM::..**

Eri lifted her head up off of the table from the on-campus café as she heard Kagome groan and plop down across from her. She grinned, though it was obvious how tired and exhausted she was. "Hey, you made it. _We_ made it." she said with a humorless laugh. Kagome just whined, resting her forehead on the table top. Eri laughed heartily at this, a real laugh this time, and reached over to place a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Oh come on, I'm sure we both did _fine_."

"I know, but I'm just ready to die..."

"You're preaching to the choir, sister."

The two took a moment to let their brains rest, Eri eventually placing her head back on the table. Things were relatively quiet, the campus was practically dead due to it being the last day for testing, pretty much whenever people were done they left. Kagome and Eri just wanted to hang out for a while before they went home.

"So what are your plans for the break?" Eri asked, keeping her head on the table.

Kagome let out a bit of a sigh, turning her head so her cheek was now resting on the table. "I've gotta get Shippou going back to school.. I'm thinking of moving him closer to here, and Ibarakishi seems to be the closest." she said. Eri nodded, soon realized that Kagome wouldn't be able to see her doing as such and thus let out a hum of confirmation. "Yeah.. and it seems like I might be meeting Kouga's pack soon."

Eri perked up at this. "Oh really now?"

"Yeah, so that should be… something I guess." the miko said with a laugh.

"Be sure to tell me all about it afterwards." Eri replied with a smirk. Kagome couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"What are your plans?" Kagome asked.

"Well, I'm probably going to spend time with my family. I haven't been able to see them since I've been so busy."

"Yeah, I know how that is.." the miko replied with a slight frown. "I need to go visit my family too… I'll definitely find time to do that."

With that, the two chatted for a while before they decided it would be best to head home. They waved as they went their separate ways and Kagome let out a bit of a sigh as she ran her hands through her hair, pulling it up to put it into a ponytail. She wanted it off her neck as she biked her way home, seeing as it was still pretty hot and muggy. She soon made her way to the bike rack and unlocked her bike from it. She hopped on and was soon off, enjoying the breeze that hit her skin. She hoped that the humidity would die off soon, but she knew that that was a fever dream. Letting out a sigh, the miko focused on getting herself back home and to the apartment so she could sit in the cool of the A/C. Now that school was done with, she'd be able to relax. At least for a little while, and the miko was going to enjoy the heck out of it.


	9. Chapter Nine: Visitors

Heyyyy, sorry it's suuuuper late. I was considering waiting until Wednesday, but I'm like "nahh, fuck it" so here it is *drops and runs*

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Kagome let out a sigh as she made her way to the back of Sanko Shrine. It was Sunday and another stuffy, muggy day. The miko was dressed as lightly as she could be in a pink and white striped tank top and light blue denim shorts. She had her hair pulled up into a bun as well, so she could keep it off her neck. She knew she would likely come out a sweaty, sticky mess anyway, but she would at least be able to endure the heat for a while. She had no idea how Kikyo and Kaede were able to stand wearing the traditional miko garb all the time like they did. Kagome would rather die than do that.

As she turned the corner, she was greeted by Kikyo. The miko looked at her and held out a bow and quiver full of arrows. Kagome raised an eyebrow at this. "What are these for?" she asked, taking them from Kikyo.

"Every miko should know how to fire a sacred arrow." she replied simply, turning and leading Kagome towards the archery targets.

"I guess, but when would I ever have access to a bow and arrows? I doubt I'd be able to carry them with me around town.."

Kikyo let out a sigh at this. "It's not just that, Kagome. The ability to fire a sacred arrow means that you have complete control over your reiki. It's all about being able to channel it into an object and maintain it. You already know how to channel your reiki into something, but you lack the ability to keep it there in its full state of power. If you can fire a sacred arrow, _properly_ , then you'll be able to use this for any sort of weapon."

Kagome nodded at this, "Yeah, okay, that makes sense."

Kikyo simply hummed in response. They stopped a good distance away from the target and Kikyo spent some time going over the basics of archery to Kagome. Once that was all settled, she then began to explain how to fire a sacred arrow. "Focus on the arrow in your hand. Channel your reiki first into your hand, then move it to the tip of the arrowhead. You want it there, as that will garner the most results and damage. The tricky part is continuing to channel your reiki into the arrowhead as you let it fly through the air, and away from your body."

The miko beside her nodded, trying to do as such. For now, Kikyo had her focusing on holding just an arrow, the bow placed on the ground next to her. She wouldn't be able to fire a sacred arrow if she couldn't even channel her reiki into the arrow. It was difficult. It felt unnatural to channel her reiki into an inanimate object, yet something deep and ancient within her made it feel right all the same. It was… conflicting, and confusing. Kagome wasn't sure what to make of it.

It took her a couple minutes to channel it down into the arrow, and several more to make sure it held for longer than a couple seconds. Her reiki continued to flare in protest, and Kagome was glad she had dropped Shippou off with Sango. All this reiki wouldn't have been good for the small boy, and she would absolutely hate herself if she were to accidentally purify him. As of right now, the state her reiki was in was dangerous and maybe a touch unpredictable. Though to be fair, it had always been that way. She was grateful for Kouga suggesting that she seek help.

Once Kagome was able to channel her reiki into the tip of the arrowhead and keep it there, Kikyo smiled. "Good. Now, pick up the bow and knock the arrow." Kagome did as she was instructed, managing to divide her attention and keep her reiki in the arrow. "Aim for the target now, just like I instructed you." Kagome nodded and pulled the arrow back, steadying herself and letting out a soft breath. She then let the arrow fly. Her reiki exploded out in a flash of pink light, but quickly fizzled out. Not only that, her arrow fell short of the target and skittered across the ground.

Kagome winced and Kikyo let out a sigh. "Maybe we should work on your archery skills first. You'll never be able to hit anything with your aim being so terrible." Kagome let out a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of her head.

"Yeah…"

From there, Kikyo went about teaching Kagome how to shoot an arrow properly. It was probably the most difficult thing Kagome had done. She wasn't sure why she was having such a hard time. She felt deep down that holding a bow and arrow in her hands felt… _right_ , but why was she so bad at it? Why couldn't she just channel that feeling and use it to help her improve? It was frustrating to say the least. The archery training went on for almost two hours before Kagome was able to shoot consistently. She didn't always hit the bullseye, but she was at least close, and definitely much better than she had been earlier. Kagome let out a breath and wiped an arm across her forehead, trying to clear the sweat that was accumulating underneath her bangs.

"Could we take a small break? I could really use a moment to rest and get some water…" she said, looking over at Kikyo, hoping the miko would be merciful.

Kikyo looked at her for a moment before she scoffed and turned away. Kagome rolled her eyes and walked towards the shrine, plopping down and sitting in the shade as she chugged down the water from her water bottle. Gods she was exhausted, and she still had a few hours to go with training for the day. Kikyo was a slave driver, and she knew that if she didn't request breaks, she wouldn't get them. She was still confused as to how Kikyo was able to stand out there in the sun and heat with such long clothes on. Her hair wasn't even tied up! Kagome was grateful that she never really had to wear the miko garb at her own shrine. Though maybe the fabric was lighter and more breathable than she thought? Who knows, she certainly wasn't going to try it out right now.

Kagome sat in the shade and let herself relax for about 5 minutes. She never dared to go a second longer, as she was afraid of what Kikyo would do for taking a break longer than that. She slowly pulled herself up, taking another quick sip of water before walking back over to Kikyo and her bow and quiver. "Are you ready?" Kikyo asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Kagome nodded, determination in her eyes. "Yes, let's get going."

The next few hours were spent with Kagome trying, and failing, to shoot a sacred arrow. Her reiki was at its peak in the arrowhead when she was holding it, however, as soon as she let it go, the reiki would burst in brilliant pink light and fizzle away almost immediately, leaving a regular arrow to plunge into the straw of the target. Kagome grew frustrated with each failure, Kikyo scolding her and telling her to do better. Sure, like it was _that_ easy. "Focus on the reiki in the arrow. Think of it as an extension of you, almost like another arm." She hated the way the miko made it sound so easy. She hated how she was being talked down on. She absolutely _despised_ the look in Kikyo's eyes.

Kagome did her best to focus, channeling all her frustrations out into her reiki. She bit down on her bottom lip, eyebrows furrowing together in anger and frustration. The moon was up now and shining down brilliantly on them. Her eyes narrowed as she pulled back on the bowstring, now channeling her reiki into the arrow with ease, almost without a second thought. She could do this. She let the arrow fly. A vibrant pink engulfed the arrow, streaking through the air like a comet before it hit the target, making it explode with the force of her reiki. The bright light almost blinded the two of them, and once it subsided, they both looked on with wide eyes.

"I… I did it." Kagome felt a hand on her shoulder then and she turned to look at the miko beside her. Her brown eyes held a softness in them that Kagome had never seen before.

"You did well. We'll pick this up again next weekend." Kagome smiled and nodded in response.

Kagome then handed over the bow and quiver and said goodbye to Kikyo, giving a small bow to thank her, once again, for taking her on and helping her. She then went over to where she had left her purse and water bottle and took a long chug. She then left the shrine and started to make her way home. The ride on the train was long and seemed to go on forever, though she chalked that up to how exhausted she was. Soon, she was stepping out of the station and walking her way home. It was lonely without Shippou. Sure the kit was usually dozing off, but it was still nice to have him with her. She remembered something then and pulled out her phone. She had received a text from Sango close to two hours ago,

 **Took Shippou home**

Kagome smiled and tapped out a quick reply.

 **I can't thank you enough for watching him for me today! It really means a lot** (o´▽`o)

The reply was almost instant.

 **It's no problem at all! He's such an angel and I'll be glad to watch him anytime** (╯✧▽✧)╯

Kagome let out a giggle and shook her head. She slipped her phone back into her pocket then and focused on her walk home. As she drew closer to the apartment complex, she felt a sinking feeling in her gut. She clutched the strap of her purse to her chest and picked up the pace. Maybe she was being paranoid, but something in her told her she should hurry home, right away. She could see the stairs, they were in her line of vision. She'd be home soon…

Behind her, she heard crackling, almost like lightning. Almost exactly like the attack from that youkai.. Panicked, and not thinking clearly, she drew her reiki into her hand and whipped around. There was nothing there. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her breathing was ragged. She dismissed her reiki and stood there, debating. She could pulse out her reiki, just like she had been taught from Kikyo, and see if someone was hiding nearby. However, if she was wrong and was only being paranoid, then she would make herself a beacon to any nearby youkai. She had to play this smart…

She relaxed herself and closed her eyes, trying to get her breathing even. Instead of pulsing out her reiki, she was going to listen. Her senses may not be heightened like a youkai's, but she should be able to tell if someone was nearby.. or at least she hoped. She stayed like that for several moments, and at hearing nothing, she opened her eyes. She was greeted by the moon, shining beautiful and bright. She must just be paranoid…

The miko turned and continued her walk home, going up the stairs and pulling out her keys as she walked down the exterior hallway. She paused in front of the door, looking around and down below to make sure. There was still nothing. She shook off her anxiety, swallowed down the lump in her throat, and stuck her key in the lock and unlocked the door. She stepped inside the apartment, closing the door behind her and locking it. As she took off her shoes, she announced her arrival. Before she left the door though, she double and triple checked it was locked completely.

She then walked into the apartment and at seeing Kouga at the table, a plate of food in her spot already heated up for her, she couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face. He smiled up at her, but it faltered as she drew closer and she sat down across from him. "Thank you, Kouga."

"Of course. How'd it go today?" he asked. He was trying to brush off his concern, he really was, but he could smell the lingering fear on her and it made his hackles rise. The beast within him was pacing, ready to rip off the head of whoever or whatever made her feel this way.

Kagome let out a sigh as she took a bite of her food. Gods she could get used to eating Kouga's cooking… "Exhausting. It was hot, and I _hate_ how Kikyo thinks she's better than me just because she's been trained from a young age." she said with a pout. Well.. that and other reasons.

Kouga let out a bit of a chuckle at that. "Well hey, at least you can rest now until Friday." he said.

"Yeah, and that's just what I intend to do." she replied with a laugh of her own. She took a couple more bites of her food, relishing the taste, before she spoke up again. "I hope Sango didn't bother you too much when she came to drop Shippou off."

"Nah, not at all. You have really good friends, Kagome." he said, giving her a genuine smile. He wasn't lying either. Sango was very pleasant and really only asked about how Kagome was doing. They discussed the attack she and Shippou had experienced, as Kagome hadn't really given too many details, which Sango understood. It was very traumatic. However, something about their chat had him burning with curiosity. When he mentioned that he had found Kikyo to train her, the slayer's expression darkened for just a moment. Then she had remembered herself and acted as if nothing was wrong. Kouga thought it best not to press her further. However, he was now left with the dilemma of trying to persuade Kagome, or just letting it rest until they were more willing to talk.

"Well, I'm glad she didn't bother you." she said with a small smile.

By the time Kagome was almost done with her meal, the fear that had been lingering in her scent was gone. Kouga was still burning to know what was wrong and what had caused her to be frightened, but he thought it might be best to leave it alone. She was just now calming down and she was exhausted, he could see it. He could always ask her tomorrow, seeing as they should both be home. Before long, Kagome was done with her food and was getting up to wash the dishes. Kouga offered to run her a bath, and she thanked him greatly.

Once she was done with the dishes and Kouga had her bath all set up, she went into the bathroom to shower and then soak in the tub. Once she was done there, she wished Kouga a good night, then headed off to her room to join the little fox youkai she had practically adopted as her own.

 **..::YatM::**..

Kagome woke up that morning and let out a small stretch. She regretted it. Her arms were _aching_ from the training yesterday. She groaned and curled back into herself, pulling the sheet over her head. It took her a few moments before she was able to drag herself out of bed. She shuffled to the door and made her way to the kitchen to get herself a bowl of cereal. As she walked down the hall, she could hear Shippou laughing over the faint noise of the TV. It brought a smile to her face. Gods did she love that kid…

She made her way out into the living space and turned a right to enter the kitchen. "Kagome!" She grinned and turned around to look over at Shippou, who was waving at her from the table in front of the TV. Kouga was sitting near him and chuckling at the kit's eagerness. Kagome gave him a small wave and then turned to fix herself a bowl of cereal. She pulled down a bowl and quickly fixed it up with milk and cereal. She put everything back in its place and then joined Kouga and Shippou at the table. She beamed at the two in front of her before beginning to eat her cereal.

"Hey Kagome, how'd you sleep?" Kouga asked, a grin on his face.

"I was out like a light." she replied with a laugh. "My arms are a little tender from the archery practice, but I'll be alright." she added.

"I'm glad you were able to get some rest." he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Yeah, today I plan on relaxing as much as possible. Maybe go to the park if it's not too hot." she said, ruffling Shippou's hair. He beamed up at her before he picked up his dishes and went into the kitchen to wash them. She giggled a bit and continued to eat her breakfast.

Kouga took another sip of his coffee as he mulled over his thoughts. He slowly put the mug back down and tapped on it with his fingertips a couple times before he felt like he was able to speak. Seems like he was starting to pick up on some of Kagome's nervous ticks. "So, maybe we could use today or tomorrow to figure out a day and time to go see the pack?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just need a couple minutes to wake up." she replied, flashing him a small smile.

"Of course, take your time."

She grinned, and by now her cereal was gone. She got up from the table and went to go wash the bowl. She passed Shippou on the way, bending down to pat him on the head before carrying on into the kitchen. She quickly washed the bowl and spoon she used, putting them in the drain board. She then made her way back to the living space and chatted with Kouga and Shippou for a while, watching a couple shows before she went to go get dressed for the day, Shippou soon following behind her.

Once she was dressed, she slipped her phone into her pocket and then went around the house to water the plants. Kouga usually insisted on taking care of them, as they were his, but she wanted to make things up to him for switching up their cooking schedule on the weekends and for being so difficult during finals week. Of course it would take more than this, but this would do for right now. She continued to go around the house, tending to the plants. Once she was done, she put the watering can away and came back over to the table, sitting down to relax a bit before she started cleaning. She set her phone on the table and started to discuss her schedule with Kouga.

In the middle of discussing things, she received a text from Sango. She moved to pick it up, but there was a knock on the door. She could get the message later. "I'll get that, be right back." she said with a grin. She rose from the table and shouted, "Coming!" The miko rushed to the door, unlocked it, and opened it. She would never have expected who was standing there.

"What the fuck, Kagome? Why does it reek of wolf in there?" Inuyasha stood there, nose wrinkled in disgust before he quickly pinched it closed with his thumb and the knuckle of his index finger. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, though something akin to anger bubbled up inside her.

"I.. does it really?" She turned back slightly, almost as if to check and see if she could smell it, but then realized how ridiculous this was. "Hold on, this isn't important right now. What are you doing here, Inuyasha?"

"I should be asking you that! I mean, what the hell? I go over to Sango's and she says you moved here. You didn't think to tell me?"

Kagome stood there flabbergasted. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was parted slightly in shock. He was kidding, right? This _had_ to be a joke. "There's no way you're serious about this right now." she said with a laugh of disbelief.

"I don't see what's so fucking funny." he snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I mean, you've not even talked to me since we graduated so I don't see how-"

"That doesn't matter!"

"Doesn't _matter?!_ Inuyasha, I _swear-_ "

"Kagome, is everything okay?" The miko froze. Oh gods.. this was not good. Not good at all… She watched as a fire lit in Inuyasha's eyes and she had to bite back a curse.

"Who the fuck is this? You're living with a man?" he asked, pointing accusingly at Kouga. Kagome let out a sigh. Gods, this was a disaster already.

"Look, Inuyasha-"

"No Kagome, you look! I don't approve of you living with some stranger!"

"He's not a stranger! And it's not your place to say anyway!"

Inuyasha snarled and pushed Kagome to the side. She let out a small squeak, which set Kouga on edge, his beast roaring in anger. How dare this strange male push _his_ woman around. An answering snarl ripped out of Kouga's chest as Inuyasha approached him, meeting the hanyou halfway. "Just who the fuck do you think you are, coming in here and pushing Kagome around?" Kouga asked, flashing his fangs at him, his lips curled and his nose scrunched up.

"And who the fuck are you to tell me what to do? You don't know Kagome."

Kagome let out a small growl of her own, though it seemed to go unnoticed by the two males in front of her. Their youki was crackling against each other and sparking against her growing reiki. She needed to stop this, she knew that Inuyasha could take things too far. She approached them, ignoring whatever nonsense they were spouting off to each other. "Would you two stop it?!" she yelled, pushing on their chests to get them away from each other. They stopped arguing at the very least, but looking at them, they were still glaring at each other over her head.

She let out a frustrated groan and pushed back on Kouga's chest. "Look, you just… go over there." Before the wolf could really respond, she whirled on her heel and glared daggers at Inuyasha. " _You_. You're leaving. Right now."

"I ain't goin' nowhere!" Inuyasha snapped.

"The hell you aren't. Look, I'll meet you somewhere so we can talk about this rationally-"

"I'm not leaving you to continue living with some mangy wolf! You can't trust this guy!"

Kagome had had enough. She just, couldn't take this anymore. She slapped Inuyasha across the face, and he let out a cry of pain. Kagome hadn't realized that she was unconsciously channeling her reiki into her hands. Her eyes widened with surprise, but she had to back it up. The hanyou looked at her, a look of betrayal on his face. "Get out. Wait outside." His ears dropped, and she could see he almost sent a glare Kouga's way but thought better of it. He skulked out of the door and once he closed it behind him, Kagome let out a breath, running her hands through her hair.

Kagome then let out a string of curses, fisting her hair and mentally berating herself. How could she have let this happen? Things were going to be so awkward now with Kouga, and he was going to want answers and she just-

A hand was placed on her shoulder and she jumped. Her hands fell from her head, releasing her hair as she looked up at Kouga, wide-eyed and a slight hint of fear laced in her scent. Kouga frowned at this and smoothed his hand down her arm, gripping lightly at her upper arm. It soothed her somewhat, and the fear was gone and her heartbeat slowed. "Kagome, are you okay? Are you sure you should be alone with him?"

She let out a sigh, running a hand through her hair and brushing Kouga off of her. It stung a little, but he pushed the feeling away. "Yeah. It's okay. I know him and it's better if I go alone. That's the only way to keep him calm." She pushed past him then to go get her phone and purse. Shippou poked his head around the corner, tears welling in his eyes. Kagome frowned and went over to him quickly. "Hey Shippou, it's okay."

"Kagome, who was that? Why was he yelling at you?" he sobbed, tears streaking down his face. Kagome then started to coo at him, wiping his tears away and pressing kisses to the top of his head.

"I'll explain everything later, I promise." she said, looking at Shippou with a warm smile, then turning to look at Kouga as well. She gave him a look, hoping to convey that she would do the same for him as well, definitely in more detail than she was going to give Shippou. After comforting the kit for a couple more moments, making sure he wasn't going to cry again, she gathered her purse and her phone. She checked the text Sango had sent her, curious as to what she had sent.

 **Kagome, I'm so sorry. I tried to stop him, but he's on his way.**

Well…. it certainly would've been better to read that before she answered the door…


	10. Chapter Ten: A Talk

Hey guys! Here's another chapter for y'all, and I hope you enjoy! And a quick reminder: I have a Ko-Fi set up and you can find it on my blog, which is in my profile. :3

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Kagome let out a sigh as she stepped out of the apartment. Inuyasha was leaning against the banister, arms crossed over his chest. She stared at him and ran a hand over her face. "Don't you give me that look." she snapped. She hated how he was looking at her right now, all judgmental and hurt. He had no right. As he continued to just stare at her accusingly, she rolled her eyes and waved for him to follow her. She then went down the stairs and went towards the bike rack. She knew the inu was right behind her. She unlocked her bike and hopped on, then turned to look at Inuyasha. He stood there, arms still crossed. Kagome quirked an eyebrow at him, then nodded towards the back of the bike where he could sit.

"Hn." He rolled his eyes and hopped onto the back of her bike.

She let out a sigh and then took off. The bike ride to the café was quiet, neither of them really wanting to talk to each other. Not now at least. Inuyasha was still hurt from her slap, not physically of course, but his feelings. Kagome, meanwhile, was trying to sort through her storm of thoughts. There were just… so many, but they were split pretty evenly between Kouga and Inuyasha. She was scared of Inuyasha's reactions, if earlier was anything to go off of. Not to mention, she was still angry with him. And then there's Kouga… She knew he was going to want answers, and she had _really_ been hoping to just… bury her past, but it seems like it was all going to get dredged up now.

Kagome did her best to clear her thoughts. She wanted to have a clear head for when she started discussing things with Inuyasha. She knew he was going to be a baby about this and she needed to prepare herself. He really never changed, did he? The thought made her nostalgic, but she quickly ignored the feeling bubbling up in her chest. Not a good idea.

They soon reached the café and she hopped off her bike, locking it up. Inuyasha got off as well and followed her into the shop. They got seated and placed in their orders, Kagome getting a caramel frapp with 4 espresso shots, extra whipped cream, and extra caramel. She was stressed… Inuyasha ordered a green tea and a sandwich. They sat quietly until their order arrived, and the silence lasted a couple minutes after that. Kagome tapped nervously on the side of the cup of her frapp. She let out a sigh, placing her hands on the tabletop.

"Alright. Let me explain-"

"Yeah, you better." he said, cutting her off with a scoff.

Kagome sucked in a breath, doing her best to calm herself. She released it slowly, tapping her fingertips on the table before flashing Inuyasha a forced smile. His ears flattened against his head. He knew that look… "Okay. Anyway, let's get this over with. As I'm sure you know, Sango and Miroku are getting married. So, I found an apartment that was relatively close to school, but I needed someone to help me pay rent. So… I put out an ad-"

"You put out an _ad?_ Whose terrible idea was that?!" he snarled.

"It was Sango's, and honestly I'm grateful for it. Kouga is a really nice person. We've been living together for a little over three months now and-"

"So what, do you love him or something?" he asked snarkily, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back in his chair. Kagome grew flustered, her cheeks red and her hands began to flail. She stumbled over her words for a few moments.

"N-No! What the- What would give you that idea?"

"Oh please. If you're living with him, it's a given."

She looked at him in shock. "Y-You're not serious, right?" She started to laugh, shaking her head. "This is.. You're ridiculous, Inuyasha! We're just friends!"

"Sure, keep lying to yourself Kagome." he said, averting his eyes.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I can't believe this.." she muttered under her breath, rubbing her hands over her eyes, then pressing her fingers to her temples and digging into them. After a few moments, she sucked in a breath and looked up at him. "Well, that's all I really need to say about this subject. Let's move on to you. When did you get into town?" she asked, forcing another ear-splitting grin.

Inuyasha was greatly unsettled by the looks she was giving him. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and took a sip of his green tea before he worked up the courage to answer. "What do you think, _idiot_. I'm here cause I heard that Sango and Miroku were getting married. I wanted to be here for that."

Kagome fought down her snide remark by stirring at her whipped cream, pulling the straw out and licking it off. She wanted to yell at him for not talking to her for the years he was gone, she wanted to berate him for just thinking he could drop into her life at will and everything would be the same. That's not how life worked, and she knew he really needed a reality check, but maybe now wasn't the time. She stuck the straw back into the concoction of sugar and caffeine and looked up at Inuyasha once more.

"So.. how were your travels?" she asked.

He was a bit surprised by this. Kagome had changed since high school, hadn't she? Normally she would yell at him and they'd get into a huge fight over how he said things. He wasn't sure he liked it… He licked his lips and shifted in his seat, leaning forward. He then started to talk about all the places he'd seen while he was studying abroad. She listened intently, happy that things seemed to be calming down between the two of them. Kagome would be lying if she said she hadn't missed the hanyou. While they had fought a lot, they did have their nice moments.. moments like these. It was nice, and they were why she had stuck by his side for so many years.

They chatted for a while, talking to each other casually throughout the afternoon. Once they had caught up pretty decently, they left the café and stopped by her bike. They stood there a bit awkwardly, Inuyasha kicking a pebble that was on the sidewalk. "Well, it was nice seeing you. Next time you wanna hang out, text me first. Don't just.. drop by unannounced again. Please."

"Pft, yeah, sure, whatever." he scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Kagome smiled softly up at him. "I mean it, Inuyasha. I'd love for you to come over.. as long as you promise to be civil." she replied, her voice soft at first, but near the end there was a hint of laughter in her voice. She shot him a wink before she unlocked her bike and hopped on. "I'll see you around, Inuyasha."

He looked down at her, arms still crossed over his chest. He was silent for a few moments, but Kagome was patient. She was always patient. Well, not _always_ , but she was for the most part. He eventually softened, giving her a light-hearted smile. "Yeah, I'll see you Kagome."

She beamed at him, kicked off her kickstand, then took off back towards the apartment complex. Inuyasha watched her leave, feeling something tugging in his chest. He scoffed a bit at that and turned to start walking to his house. Well.. it wasn't really _his_ house, it was his brother's. He hated having to stay there, but he didn't really have a choice. He had been hoping to crash at Kagome's…. but seeing how she was with a man, and a _wolf_ no less, he had to fall back on his brother. At least he could rely on being left alone. He could really use some time to himself to sort everything out.

 **..::YatM::..**

Kagome let out a sigh as she reached the complex and locked up her bike. She had enjoyed her time with Inuyasha, despite it being rough. It was always rough, but she knew that's just how he was. He didn't know how to show affection. Was it infuriating at times? Of course, but it's something she had grown accustomed to, from him at least. But Inuyasha was a song and dance she knew all too well, and one she was confident she could do in her sleep. It came naturally to her, almost. There were times where she faltered, but it was due to him stepping on her toes.

The hard part of today would be talking with Kouga. Sure they had grown close over the three months they had been living together and she considered him a friend, but she wasn't sure how he would react. She was still learning about him, still learning to dance to the tune he sang. It was a process, and she hoped she could improv her way through it, so to speak.

She sucked in a calming breath, slowly releasing it before she ascended the stairs and walked down the hall to the door of the apartment. It would probably be better to just… get it over with, wouldn't it? She nipped at her bottom lip nervously as she pulled out her keys, sticking them into the lock. She unlocked the door and stepped in, closing the door behind her and locking it once more. "I'm home." she announced as she took off her shoes. She was greeted with silence and it made the miko nervous. Kagome took a few calming breaths before she walked into the living area.

There, she found Kouga sitting at the table, arms folded over his chest and looking deep in thought. Kagome licked her lips before taking the bottom one in between her teeth and nibbling on it for a few seconds. She set down her bag and the movement seemed to catch Kouga's attention. His head snapped up and he watched as Kagome nervously moved towards him, sitting down across from him at the table. Her scent reeked of the electrical fire that was her anxiety, and there was a lingering scent of dog on her as well. It made his hackles rise, but he knew he had no place to scent mark her. Not yet, at least.

"Where's Shippou?" she asked, voice soft as she folded her hands in her lap.

"I had Sango come pick him up." he replied simply. Kagome thought best not to push further on that topic, though she was curious as to know when exactly he had received her friend's phone number. Her eyes shifted downwards, towards his hands which were resting on the table. His left hand covered the right, curled tight to the point his knuckles were starting to turn white. Kagome twiddled her fingers underneath the table.

"So… I'm sure you have… questions for me."

"Yeah, I do."

His tone made her want to cringe, to cower in fear, but she refused to do as such. Instead, she kept her back straight and averted her eyes whenever necessary. She did her best to keep her eyes on his, but it was difficult at times. His blue eyes seemed to bore into hers, and her rising anxiety made it difficult to discern with what exact emotion was hidden in their depths.

"I'm warning you now.. it's… a pretty long and, somewhat ridiculous, story." she said, a nervous laugh escaping her.

"Take your time."

She took in a deep breath, bringing her hands up to the table and tapping her fingers on the wooden surface as she slowly released it, trying to ease her worries. "So… I've known Inuyasha since high school. I met him in my first year, his second. He was… my first love." Kagome blushed slightly at that, and Kouga felt like a knife was being twisted into his heart. "We dated for a while. Things were… kind of rocky, but that's just who Inuyasha is. He's brash and rude, but deep down he cares deeply about those close to him. He just… doesn't know how to show it." She laughed nervously, twining her fingers together and pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth.

Kagome was silent for a few moments then, and that's when Kouga started to notice a shift in her scent. Burning copper was slowly being overtaken by wet soil and moss. He knew that what she was about to say next was going to be bad. "It wasn't until my second year that I learned about Kikyo." His eyes widened at that and she let out a laugh. "Yeah, crazy, right?" She took a few moments to prepare herself for what she was going to say next.

"Before Inuyasha met me, he had met Kikyo. They had started dating in their third year of middle school and broke up at the end of their first in high school. Kikyo had to move away to her family's shrine. Her grandmother was growing weaker, and so her family pulled her away from Tokyo to bring her here. They wanted her to finish her training there before her grandmother passed, since she showed such promise for being a powerful miko and wanted to make her proud." Kagome's gaze was downcast, studying the grain of the wood. Her elbows were now placed on the table, hands fisted together in front of her face.

"I believe Inuyasha chose me because Kikyo and I look so similar… we could be sisters, you know?" she said, glancing up at Kouga, a forced smile on her face and tears welling in her eyes. Though he couldn't see them, he could smell them. It simultaneously broke his heart and fueled him with rage.

"How did you find out?" he asked softly, almost afraid to know.

Kagome sucked in a breath, bringing her hands down to rest on the table as she straightened her back. "He told me that he was going to meet his ex at a coffee shop, to discuss things and get some closure. After a few weeks, we started hanging out less and less, his grades dropped, and he had to repeat his third year. A part of me was happy. I'd get to spend my final year with him and we could graduate together. We could study for our college entrance exams together, even. Gods I was so stupid." Her accompanying laugh was filled with pain and regret. Kouga's heart broke for her.

"It wasn't long before I realized he was seeing her behind my back. I kind of knew from how he would look at me with guilt in his eyes, but I didn't know for sure until I was showing him something on his phone and he received a text from her. I saw it. Needless to say, we had a huge fight and halfway through our third year, we broke up. Me being me, however, I still stuck around. I don't know why, but I did. We still had good times, I just knew we were never meant to be." she said with a shrug.

Kouga frowned. He wanted desperately to reach out to her, to hold her hands, pull her into him and soothe her, but he wasn't sure if he should. "I.. I'm sorry, Kagome." he whispered, and he meant it.

The miko simply shrugged, a weak smile on her face. "It's in the past. It still sucks to think about, but it's been years. I'm over it.. for the most part." she said with another shrug. Somehow, Kouga didn't believe her. Maybe he had an unfair advantage with being able to smell how she really felt, but she also wasn't that great of a liar. He decided to throw caution to the wind and be bold. With a bit of a chuckle, he moved closer to her and pulled her into an embrace. He heard the faint gasp that escaped her at the sudden contact.

"You're a terrible liar, Kagome." he whispered.

She let out a laugh at that as she buried her face into his chest. He'd be lying if he said it didn't make him feel hopeful, caused his heart to pick up pace. The miko returned the embrace and Kouga was glad he had taken the risk. They stayed like that for a couple moments, Kagome allowing herself to be comforted before she eventually pulled away. Kouga instantly felt empty without her in his arms. "I'm going to get started on some lunch, and then I'm going to clean up around here." she said with a smile.

Kouga laughed, shaking his head. "Take a break, woman."

"Never." She winked at him before she rose from her spot and made her way into the kitchen. Kouga's cheeks flushed and he covered his mouth with his hand, hiding the goofy grin that was appearing. This woman would be the death of him.


	11. Chapter Eleven: First Errand

Hey guys! So, I'm posting a day early cause Imma be busy tomorrow and hey, better early than late? Especially since I'll be busy Thrusday too so... xD Anywho, hope you enjoy!

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It had been a couple days since Inuyasha's drop in visit, and thus, a couple days since Kagome's possible run-in with that youkai. She still hadn't told Kouga about it, not wanting him to worry. She still wasn't even sure if it was real. However, she decided not to dwell on these thoughts. Right now, she was focusing on counting out a small portion of yen for Shippou to take and pick up a couple things for her.

The miko had been shocked when the kit told her he had never been sent on an errand by himself before. She had gone on hers at around age 4, and Shippou appeared to be about 7. She knew what she had to do and had talked to Kouga about it the night before. He had been a bit wary, but Kagome assured him that she was sure everything would be fine. She was going to send Shippou out here in a couple of minutes and it was in the middle of the afternoon. It was always really busy during this time and she knew that people would be watching over him, just like they had for her and eventually Souta as well.

She smiled as she closed up the coin purse and handed it to the nervous-looking kit. Kagome gave a soft sigh and pulled him into a hug. "You'll be fine, Shippou. I promise." she said, pressing a kiss to the top of his head as she pulled away.

"Are you sure?" he asked, tears welling in his eyes.

"Yes. It's something I did too when I was much younger than you are. I have faith in you, Shippou." she replied with a reassuring smile. Shippou sniffled and Kagome ruffled his hair. It never failed to make him laugh, and this time was no exception. The kit's worries faded as he let out a hearty laugh and Kagome pressed another kiss to his auburn locks. She then turned to the small slip of paper that was resting on the table and handed it to him. "This is what I need you to get, okay? Do you remember which shops to go to?" she asked.

"Yeah! I'll do my best!" he replied, determined now.

Kagome beamed, ruffling his hair once more. "I know you will."

With that, Kagome made sure he had everything, putting the coin purse and list in his backpack along with a bottle of water and a small snack, just in case. She walked Shippou to the door and waved him off, watching as he walked down the hall and then down the steps. Once he was on the street, she smiled and closed the door, going in to start what prep work she could before the kit returned.

Shippou stood there for a couple moments, looking at Kagome's bike in the bike rack and wringing his wrists. He knew he put on a big act, but he was actually quite nervous. He had never gone out on his own before… He took a few moments to calm himself before curling his hands into tiny fists. Determination flooded him, and he puffed out his chest before starting his walk to the grocery store. The sidewalk was quite crowded, but Shippou was able to weave his way through with ease, that was an advantage he had with being so short.

He rounded a few corners before he arrived at the butcher. Shippou stopped in front of the store, pulling off his bag and setting it down so he could rummage through it. He took a quick sip of his water before he reached in and pulled out the list Kagome had given him. He made sure to memorize the cut of meat she wanted, reading it over multiple times and mumbling it to himself under his breath a couple times. Satisfied, he smiled to himself and folded the note up, slipping it into his pocket. He zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulder before opening the door to the shop and stepping in.

The shop was quite busy, but it seems that most of the people in there were waiting for their meat. Shippou waited for his turn in line and smiled up at the shop owner. He put in his order for a cut of top sirloin and was handed a number by the owner. The man also offered Shippou a lollipop, which the kit happily obliged. Lollipop in hand, he hopped away from the counter, clutching the number close to his chest, and stood by one of the windows. A woman standing next to him smiled down at him and he nervously returned it.

"Are you out running errands for your mother?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's my first time." he replied.

She beamed at this, and the look of pride in her eyes filled Shippou with a sense of confidence. "Well, I'm sure you're doing a great job, it certainly seems like it!" she said.

Shippou grinned and thanked her. He took that time then to unwrap his lollipop and shove it into his mouth. It didn't take too long for his order to be done. He rushed over and slipped his bag off, unzipping it and pulling out the coin purse. He paid the butcher and took the bag with his meat order in it. "Thank you!" he said, giving a quick bow as well. He turned to put his items away and noticed a bucket full of cubes of beef fat. He considered it for a moment. He had seen Kagome pick out a cube when they came, but he didn't know if they needed one.. or if it was free.

The butcher seemed to notice the kit's internal struggle and chuckled a bit. "You can take a cube if you'd like, free of charge. That's what it's there for." he said cheerily. Shippou looked up at him, astonished for a few moments. He soon broke out of it, grinning at him and thanking him once more. He plucked a cube of fat from the bucket, and put it in the grocery bag. He then picked his bag back up and slung it onto his shoulders before he left the shop, the shop owner smiling and waving as the kit left.

Now feeling more confident, Shippou walked down the sidewalk with ease, not a care in the world. He had successfully procured meat and even got a lollipop! This was honestly shaping up to be the best shopping trip he's ever been on yet! He just wished that Kagome was here to see him… He frowned slightly at this but was able to quickly pick himself back up. When he brought back everything, he'd see how proud she is of him. Yes, that would make it all worth it, being out here without her. With a pep in his step, the kit carried on his way to a local grocery store. He would be able to pick up the other items they needed from there.

As he made his way to the store, he passed by a small park. There, he saw kids playing, running around and chasing each other. He nibbled on his lower lip as he fiddled with his fingers. He had a growing urge to go join them, but he knew he had a mission. He let out a sigh and started to walk away when a ball came rolling up to him, fast. He was spooked slightly, but he was able to stop it with his foot. A girl came running up to him then. She had long black hair tied into low twin pigtails. Her eyes were dark red, which contrasted against her fair skin. As she got closer, Shippou could see that her ears were pointed, and she had a small aura of youki around her. Was she glamoured to dull it down, or was she just a weak youkai?

She grinned as she approached him. "Hey! Thanks for getting my ball, I'm Souten. Who're you?"

"I'm Shippou. And it's no problem!" he beamed, picking up the ball and handing it to her.

"Are you a kitsune?" she asked, looking at him curiously as she took the ball and held it close to her chest.

"Yeah! And what are you?"

"Oh! I'm a thunder youkai!" Shippou felt a surge of fear fill him, but just for a moment. There's more than just _that_ youkai out there who have thunder powers. "So, Shippou, do you wanna play?" she asked, holding out the ball slightly, a huge grin on her face.

"Ah, I would, but I'm running errands. Maybe next time I'm out and I see you!" he said cheerfully.

She frowned a little, but quickly perked up. "Alright! I'll see you around then, maybe at school!"

"Yeah! I'll see you later Souten!"

"Bye Shippou!"

The two waved and the young kitsune was off on his journey again. He had an added pep to his step now, happy that he had seemed to make a new friend. He soon arrived at the grocery store and picked up a basket at the door. He also took this time to toss the stick of his lollipop into a nearby trash can. He then made his way down the aisles, pulling the list out of his pocket. He read it over a couple times before looking on the shelves. All he needed to get was some thread konjac, green onions, and Chinese cabbage. Shippou wandered through the produce aisle for a while, easily finding the last two on his list. The only problem he was having was finding the thread konjac. He knew they were a type of noodle, but for some reason he just couldn't find where they would be.

He grew a bit frustrated and felt a little defeated. However, a worker came up to him. "Hey, what are you looking for? You've been wandering around for a while." he said, a warm smile on his face.

Shippou looked up at him with a frown. "I'm trying to find thread konjac, but I don't know where it is…"

"That's alright, I'm here to help." The worker looked down at him, beaming. It cheered Shippou up. "Follow me, kid." From there, Shippou was led down one of the aisles and then the worker pulled down a package from near the top of the shelf. "Here you go, this was probably why you couldn't find it." he said with a bit of a laugh.

Shippou looked up at him with a huge smile on his face. "Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem at all. You're doing so well, don't let this get you down." he replied.

"I won't!"

The two said their goodbyes then and Shippou happily made his way to the check-out area. He set his basket on the counter and then slipped his bag off to pull out the coin purse. Once everything was rung up, he handed the money to the clerk and was then handed the produce. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Hurry on home now." she said with a warm smile. Shippou nodded, packed up his things, then left the store. He was proud of himself. He had done it! Now all he had to do was get home. He stopped by the doors, just before leaving the store, to pull out his water bottle. He took a long drink before closing the cap on it. He set the bottle on the ground and zipped up his bag before putting it back on his back. He decided to leave the water bottle out for now so he could have easy access. It was pretty hot out and he felt like he would need it to help keep himself cool.

Shippou then began his journey home, excited to see Kagome's reaction to him doing well on his first outing. He was practically skipping down the sidewalk. By now, the crowds had started to die down, so the street wasn't super crowded. It would've made him nervous if he wasn't just so excited and pleased with himself. It wasn't long before he was passing by the park. He stopped nearby and looked around for Souten. He didn't see her anywhere and he frowned a little. He had been hoping to talk to her a bit before he went home…

He let out a sigh and carried on his way. He soon rounded a corner and it quickly grew darker. Looking up, Shippou was confused to see a bunch of clouds in the sky. Was it supposed to rain today? A feeling of unease filled him, but he did his best to not show his fear. He needed to get home to Kagome. She was counting on him! The kit did his best to shake his fear, but he couldn't stop his legs and hands from trembling as he continued his walk down the sidewalk.

That feeling of dread continued to grow as he walked and tears started to well in his eyes. Why did he feel so uneasy? He felt something wet plop on top of his head and looking up he saw that the clouds had gotten even darker. He was certain it wasn't supposed to rain today… He didn't like this… Shippou was suddenly scooped up and he let out a scream, eyes screwed shut as he started to flail.

"Would ya shut it, you little _twerp_?"

He knew that voice… He opened his eyes and looked up, seeing a somewhat familiar face, or rather one he recognized. It was the dog hanyou that Kagome had been fighting with. Inuyasha? That sounded right… "Wh-what are you doing?" he asked, voice wavering.

"I'm taking you home. You're with Kagome, right? She sure picked a _swell_ time to send you out on your first errand." he grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

Shippou wanted to speak up in Kagome's defense, but he couldn't work past the lump in his throat. He watched as Inuyasha pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and unlocked it. He saw the inu type out a message to Kagome and send it.

 **Hey, I'm bringing your kit home. And I've got some questions for you, and you better answer them.**

Inuyasha adjusted Shippou in his arms then. "Hang on tight, kid." The kit did as he was told and then Inuyasha took off, running at full speed. The rain started off slow, just a small drizzle. With the speed Inuyasha ran at, the pair were able to make it back to the apartment before it started to really come down. Once they were at the door, he set Shippou down and knocked on the door. They listened as Kagome shuffled around and eventually came to the door, opening it.

"Hey." she said, smiling at the two of them. She then looked down at Shippou and beamed. "It looks like you did good, Shippou! Come in and we'll get everything set up, okay?" The kitsune nodded and hopped into the apartment, Inuyasha following behind with his arms crossed over his chest. Kagome closed and locked the door once they were both in and the trio walked into the living area. Shippou set the grocery bags down on the table and Kagome rifled through them. She praised Shippou for doing so well, ruffling his hair and pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"Why don't you go to the room and pick out some candy? You've earned it." she grinned. The kit let out a cheer and took off for their room. Once she heard the door close, she turned to look at Inuyasha. "What happened?" she asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" he asked.

Kagome groaned, rolling her eyes. She picked up the bags of ingredients and brought them into the kitchen so she could finish getting the food prepped. "I _can't_ if you don't explain why you had to bring Shippou home." she stated matter-of-factly.

"Tch…" Inuyasha followed her into the kitchen, leaning against a nearby wall, his arms still crossed over his chest. "I was just walking through town to pick up something to eat when the sky got dark. I saw your kit from a distance and thought it was odd there was a strong youki aura following him." He was quick to catch the shift in her scent, rotting flesh swirling and quickly overtaking her normal spring-like scent. Her motions of cutting the sirloin had also stopped and he noticed the slight tremble in her hands.

"Did you see who it was?" she asked, her voice calm. If it wasn't for her scent and trembling, she might've fooled him.

"No, only the aura. Now, tell me what's going on."

He watched as Kagome set the knife down, her trembling increasing and the fear in her scent burning his nose. She let out a sigh and ran a hand through her hair, holding it back for a moment. Concern filled him instantly. Whatever this was, it was _bad_.

"About a month ago… I was coming home early from school because the weather had been so unpredictable. I heard a scream coming from an alley so, _naturally_ , I went to go check it out. There, I found Shippou… and some kind of…. _thunder_ youkai. He was trying to kill Shippou… he tried to kill _me_ with some kind of, of.. lightning attack. It was.. _terrifying_. If I wasn't a miko I certainly would've died…" she said, mumbling the last part. He could smell the saltiness of her tears then and his ears flattened against his head. His arms slowly fell to his sides and he felt something tug in his chest as he saw her grip the counter, her knuckles turning white.

Nervously, Inuyasha approached Kagome and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, you're okay."

Kagome sniffled then let out a shaky breath. She brought a hand up to wipe away her tears. "I thought I had felt his presence the night before you stopped by. I stood out there for a while, trying to see if he was actually there or not. I thought I was just imagining things but…" She choked back a sob, a hand quickly coming up to cover her mouth. Inuyasha had to fight back a whine as wet soil and moss began to mix with the rotting flesh in her scent.

He brought his hand down to her back and began to rub it in soothing circles. He knew that had helped in the past, and he hoped it still helped. "I probably shouldn't have told you that… I still haven't told them yet.. Please Inuyasha… I'm _begging_ you, keep it a secret, okay?"

"Yeah, I promise."

"Thank you.." she breathed out. He continued to rub her back for a little bit and it seemed to help. Her scent of fear and sorrow started to fade but were still somewhat present by the time she felt ready enough to get back to work. Inuyasha stood by and watched her for a few moments before he left to go to the living area and turn on the TV. Shippou soon came out of the room carrying several pieces of candy. Kagome laughed and rolled her eyes at the kit, but she let him keep them.

Just as Kagome was finished slicing the beef and moving onto the vegetables, Kouga arrived. The wolf was grumbling for a couple reasons. One, he was soaked from the rain and two, he was still sour from the text Kagome had sent him earlier. She had warned him that Inuyasha was coming over, but she hadn't provided any more details on the subject. As soon as he had opened the door to the apartment he had smelled the dog and it just worsened his mood.

He grumbled as he took off his shoes at the door, but he was quick to fix his expression as he walked into the living area. "Welcome home, Kouga!" Shippou said cheerfully.

"Yo." Inuyasha mumbled, not even looking at the wolf, too busy flipping through channels. Shippou looked over and frowned as he skipped past a cartoon.

"Go back, Inuyasha! That's my favorite show!"

"Tch, I don't care."

"Inuyasha, turn it back." Kagome called, focused on chopping the Chinese cabbage. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and changed it back to the cartoon. Kouga could already tell this was going to be a _long_ night. He walked towards his room then, so he could go change. As he passed by the kitchen, he caught a whiff of Kagome's scent and he stopped in his tracks. It wasn't fully present anymore, but he could smell the lingering traces of fear and sorrow in her normally cheery scent. He fought the urge to snarl and rip the inu's head off, certain that the hanyou was to blame for her mood. He could question Kagome on this later. He continued on to his room, eager to get out of his wet clothes and into some dry ones.

It didn't take him long to change, and soon enough he was out of his room and joining Kagome in the kitchen. Inuyasha's eyes followed the wolf, narrowing slightly and his ears strained to hear over the sound of the TV next to him.

"Kagome, what happened?" Kouga asked, his voice a whisper.

"Nothing really. Inuyasha just thought Shippou needed some help getting back home, what with the rain starting all of a sudden." she answered with a shrug. She had made quick work of the cabbage and was now working on the green onions.

Kouga frowned. "You know you're a bad liar Kagome."

Kagome let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't really wanna talk about it right now, okay? I'll talk to you about this later. And can you _please_ _**stop**_ with the low-key fighting? Your youki is suffocating." she said. Something akin to smoke was filling her scent. The smell sent him back several hundred years when a small section of the forest had caught fire. It made him want to run, but he knew that there wasn't any actual fire. Was she getting angry now?

The youkai flushed slightly, ashamed of himself for not even realizing his aura had been growing to try and combat the hanyou's. "Sorry. I don't mean to push you it's just-"

"I know Kouga.. but please at least… _try_ to get along? He won't be here for long." she mumbled.

Kouga nodded and reluctantly left her side to go join Shippou and Inuyasha at the table. The hanyou watched him closely, arms crossed over his chest. Kouga did his best to resist the urge to shoot the inu a glare. He had to be good, for Kagome's sake. He wasn't going to play into the hanyou's games. Inuyasha scoffed and turned his head away to look at the TV once more. The wolf simply rolled his eyes.

Before too long, Kagome had finished cooking their meal. She brought a small burner to the table and turned the flame on low. The miko then brought over the pot and set it down on the burner, then came back with four bowls, four sets of chopsticks, and a ladle. She set the bowls and chopsticks in front of everyone, then set the ladle in the pot, directing the handle towards Inuyasha. Seeing as how he was their guest, he should be served first. A huge grin crossed his features as he reached out and ladled out some of the sukiyaki into his bowl. Once he was done, Kagome reached for the ladle and Shippou's bowl and put together a portion for the kit.

She moved to offer the ladle to Kouga, but he motioned for her to serve herself. She smiled softly at him and began to dish up. Inuyasha watched the small interaction and it set him on edge. He didn't like how close they were. He fought back a growl and simply waited for them to get their bowls ready before he dug into his food. As they ate, Shippou talked animatedly about his errand. Kagome listened intently, as did Kouga.

Inuyasha was listening in as well, but he was also brooding to himself, trying to figure out what was going on between Kagome and that _flea bag_. What did she even see in him? He didn't like this at all, but he knew there wasn't really anything he could do. He had been out of Kagome's life for too long, apparently. Maybe he could talk to Miroku… He _would_ go to Sango, but he knew that would get him nowhere. Miroku, however, had always given him some good advice. He would definitely be able to help the hanyou out now.

"Then everything started getting dark and it was really scary, but Inuyasha showed up and bought me home." the kit concluded with a shrug.

"Well, I'm glad he was there to help you get home." Kagome said with a warm smile, turning to send it the inu's way. She was honestly grateful he had been there, especially considering…

"Oh! And Kagome let me pick candy out of her stash for doing such a good job!" he added, turning a cheerful smile towards Kouga.

The wolf chuckled and ruffled Shippou's hair. "That's great. You did do a really good job, you got everything on the list." he said, smiling.

Shippou nodded enthusiastically, stars in his eyes. Kouga couldn't help but laugh more. The kit sure had a way of lightening the mood and making him feel better. It wasn't too long after that that the food was polished off and Kouga was gathering up the dishes. Kagome, meanwhile, was walking Inuyasha to the door. Kouga had been wary at first, but he knew Kagome could handle herself. However, he was still left feeling slightly insecure. She had told him that the inu was her first love, and even though she said they weren't meant to be, Kouga wasn't too sure her feelings for the hanyou were completely gone, or if they ever would be. He let out a sigh and tried not to focus on those thoughts, they would just bring him pain.

Kagome led Inuyasha to the door, the two of them slipping on their shoes. Inuyasha had quirked an eyebrow at that but didn't question it. They stepped outside, and Kagome closed the door behind them. He watched as she took in a deep breath, then slowly released it before she spoke. "I know I was a bit harsh on you, but I do appreciate you bringing Shippou home, safe." she said, giving the inu a soft smile.

He looked away, crossing his arms over his chest and scoffing. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Don't get all sappy on me."

Kagome giggled and Inuyasha turned to look at her, slightly surprised. "You sure haven't changed, have you?" she asked.

Inuyasha watched her for a few moments, then looked away, a sullen look on his face. "I wish I could say the same about you…" he mumbled.

She blinked, surprised, then let out a sigh, running a hand through her hair, eyes shifting down. "Inuyasha…"

"I know, Kagome…" She looked up at him and felt her chest constrict from the sullen look on his face. "I know I haven't always been the best, but I want to be a part of your life again." he said, turning to look at her then. The moonlight shining behind him gave him an ethereal glow, his silver hair and golden eyes only accentuating this. She hated the way he was looking at her right now… It felt like he was trying to play off of some feelings he hoped were still there. She wasn't sure if they were or not, and she didn't want to find out.

"How can I be sure you're not just saying that because there are other people in my life now?" she asked. She knew it would be best to build her defenses now. She knew his song and dance all too well.

A hurt look flashed in his eyes and Kagome did her best to not let it get to her. He stepped closer to her and brought a hand up to her cheek, cupping it softly. "I'm serious. I want to make up for what I did in the past…" She spent a few moments searching his expression, his eyes. She wanted to believe him, she _really_ did.. but…

The miko let out a sigh, closing her eyes and pushing his hand away. Inuyasha felt a sharp pain in his chest as she turned away from him, reaching for the doorknob. "I'm not going to play these games with you, Inuyasha. Not again. If you're serious, then by all means, I'm fine with being friends again. However," her grip tightened on the doorknob, "I'm not going to let you toy with my emotions again."

And with that, she opened the door and quickly closed it behind her. If she let him get a response out there, she knew it would lead to an argument, one she didn't have the strength to deal with. She locked the door and then pressed her back against it, taking a moment to calm herself. It took a few moments before she felt his youki leave. There was a storm of emotions brewing inside her, but one stood out clear amongst the maelstrom.

 _Tired_.

Kagome was just so tired. The day had started off so well, and then everything fell apart in an instant. It fell apart as soon as Inuyasha had sent her that text. She had known something was up, but she wasn't expecting what he told her. Her suspicions had been correct, and while she was glad to know she wasn't being paranoid, she wished she was. And now? _Now_ she had to deal with Inuyasha trying to come back into her life. It had been close to three years. She had moved on, for the most part. Sure, she was still a little messed up from it, but that was to be expected.

She shook her head then. She just wanted to sleep. She didn't want to think anymore, she _just_ wanted rest. Kagome took her shoes off and walked into the living area. She saw Kouga in the kitchen, now drying off the pot. It seemed like he had already put the bowls away. She smiled exhaustedly and started walking towards the wolf. He sensed her approach and set the pot in the drain board, putting the towel on the counter next to it.

"Hey Kagome, how're you-" His question was cut short as Kagome rested her forehead against his chest, letting out a sigh as soon as the connection was made. He stood there, dumbfounded for a couple seconds before a blush darkened his cheeks. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and she did the same, holding the wolf close and nuzzling her face further into his chest. Kouga felt his heart would burst.

"I'm tired, Kouga.." she whispered. He could hear the heartache in her voice, and that's when her scent hit him. It was… odd.. to say the least. The damp soil and moss were definitely prominent, but the undertone of a forest fire made things somewhat confusing. His first instinct as a wolf was to run away from the smell of a fire, but the scent of freshly dug, wet soil played on a whole other instinct.

Kouga let out a small sigh and tightened his grip on her, keeping the miko close to him. "What's wrong, Kagome?" he asked, his voice calm, soft, _gentle_.

Kagome let out a large huff of a breath through her nose and Kouga could tell she was slightly frustrated. "Where do I even begin with that?" she asked, a hint of humor in her voice. A chuckle rumbled through his chest and it made Kagome's heart pick up pace, just ever so slightly.

"You can start wherever you want." he answered. He felt the smile stretch across her face before she slowly removed herself from him. He couldn't help but feel somewhat sad at the loss from her, but the happiness he felt that she had come to him for comfort won out.

"Let me go put Shippou to bed."

He nodded and watched her go. He took a few moments to calm himself, trying his best to wipe the ear-splitting grin off his face as he went back to drying off the pot. Once it was dry, he put it away and folded up the towel and put it away as well. He walked over to the couch then, sitting down and leaning back against it. His heart was pounding in his chest and he had never felt more like a love-sick pup than he did in this exact moment. Gods he was hopeless, wasn't he?

Kagome was soon back in the room and he had thankfully calmed down, somewhat, since their encounter in the kitchen. He looked up at her and judging by the look on her face and the different smells in her scent, this was going to be a long chat. That didn't matter to him though; he'd be more than happy to spend the majority of the night talking with her. He wanted to prove to her that he would always be there for her, even if they only ever stayed friends. He wanted to do everything he could for her.

She smiled weakly as she walked towards him and sat down next to him on the couch. Multiple scents attacked his nose as her emotions swirled together in a tumultuous storm. He didn't let it get to him, however. He reached over, taking one of her hands in his and giving her a soft smile. "Tell me everything. I'm here for you, Kagome." She smiled brilliantly at him and he could see how much she appreciated him and the gesture. He gave her hand a small squeeze, and then she told him everything.


	12. Chapter Twelve: Meeting the Pack

Eyyyyyy, posting early again cause Imma be busy for a good couple days, haha. Umm, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get the next chapter out in time next week? It's still a WIP and I'm really struggling rn for some reason? But uh, hopefully I can keep to my schedule I've made and not flake out on y'all? There's just... a lot going on rn, with friends and college and so... yeah... But anywho! I hope you enjoy, and as a reminder I do have a Ko-Fi set up! Links are on my tumblr, which is on my profile!

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Kouga had been furious with Inuyasha after what Kagome had told him. He had been very tempted to hunt the hanyou down and rip him limb from limb for trying to manipulate her, but he had more pressing matters. The thunder youkai. It was alarming, and he had done his best to assure the miko that they would be safe. That night, he had called up several members of his pack to help him patrol while Kagome and Shippou slept. The weekend went by without a hitch, no real sign of the youkai.

Kagome, of course, had come home each night exhausted from training, but Kouga could tell from her aura alone that she was getting stronger. He was proud of her. He had also decided to start a habit of waiting for her outside of the apartment, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

Today though, the three of them were getting ready to head out to the place Kouga's pack stayed in. It was a sizeable compound that was on the outskirts of the city, the wolves finding comfort in the countryside but wanting the convenience of living near the city. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't excited to go back home; he missed being with his pack and it would be nice to spend a fun night with them again. At the same time however, he was terrified. He knew they could be a bit overwhelming, even for him at times, so he was scared for Kagome. He didn't want them to say anything stupid to her or make her feel uncomfortable.

He would like to have faith in them, but the fact of the matter was, they were a bunch of idiots. They wouldn't say anything bad on purpose, but there was a large chance they would accidentally out his feelings to her, or at least allude to them. He let out a sigh then and slicked his hair back into its usual ponytail. He could worry about all this later. He grabbed his phone off of his dresser and sent out a quick text to Ginta.

 **We should be leaving here shortly. Tell everyone to be on their best behavior or else.**

He then slipped the device into his pocket and left his room. He could faintly hear Kagome talking with Shippou in her room. It was mostly her trying to get him to wear certain clothes and the kit refusing, making a game out getting dressed. He smiled to himself and walked down the hall into the living area. He took a seat on the couch, and just as he did so his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and rolled his eyes at Ginta's reply.

 **We'll do our best boss!** (￣^￣)ゞ

He shoved his phone back into his pocket, deciding to just leave the conversation at that. He waited patiently for Kagome and Shippou to finish getting ready, and thankfully it didn't take too long. The kit came running out from the hall and hopped onto the sofa next to Kouga in the blink of an eye. Kouga laughed and pulled Shippou in for a hug. The fox wrestled himself out of the wolf's grasp and beamed at him.

"Are there gonna be other kids there?" he asked.

"Yeah, quite a few around your age." Kouga replied with a smile. Shippou's smile grew and he turned to look at Kagome, who was just now entering the room. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, likely from chasing Shippou around her room not too long ago. She was dressed in a grey pleated, high-waisted skirt that stopped at her mid-thigh. Tucked into it was a white and peach striped shirt, one that seemed to be made of a light fabric and had loose fitting sleeves that came down just slightly past her elbows. For chasing a 7 year old around for, what he assumed was, several minutes, she looked phenomenal.

The kit then quickly hopped off the couch and charged for the door. Kagome sighed, rolled her eyes, and then shot Kouga a look before following him. The wolf let out a chuckle, having to agree with Kagome that the child could be too excitable at times. He followed behind the miko, and the three of them put on their shoes before leaving the apartment.

Kagome took the couple seconds for Kouga to lock the door to check herself over, mostly fiddling with her shirt. She had pulled it out of the tuck just ever so slightly, letting it sort of poof over the waistband. Satisfied with her work, she reached down for Shippou and gathered the kit up into her arms. He struggled to break free a couple times, but at Kagome's insistence, he let himself be carried after a couple minutes. With that, they were making their way down to the train station.

Shippou was babbling on about how he was excited to meet everyone and make some new friends. It warmed both of their hearts seeing the kit so excited. It wasn't long before he was wriggling in Kagome's grasp, trying to break free. She laughed and released him, watching him take off ahead of them. Thankfully, they weren't too far from the station now, so she wasn't too worried about him. She made sure to keep an eye on him though.

It wasn't too long before they were at the station and boarding a train. Shippou was bouncing excitedly in his seat, and Kagome had to try to settle him down several times. As they made their way to their destination, Kagome took the time in between calming Shippou to look out the window. Once they started to breach into the countryside, it was quite beautiful. She looked on in awe as they rode through the fields, giddy that they were getting closer to the mountains. The blue hue the mountains took on in the distance slowly became more and more green as they drew closer.

The landscape was simply beautiful; trees and farm fields everywhere with a scenic backdrop of the mountains. Kagome was confused as to why Kouga would ever want to leave this. She hadn't been to the country in a _long_ time.. Looking around, she was eager to finish getting her degree and, one day, build a clinic out here. Of course, she was going to work in the ER for a while to save up money to build and establish a clinic in the country, but it was her end goal.

She let out a contented sigh and Kouga turned to look at her. He quirked an eyebrow at the dreamy look on her face as she looked out the window, but she was too lost in her thoughts to notice. He smiled to himself as he took her in; she looked quite the picture sitting there, her body turned towards the window. Her arm was placed over the back of the seat and she had her cheek resting in her hand. He looked at her for a couple more moments before turning away, a light blush staining his cheeks. Gods, he was already whipped… he could just hear his pack teasing him now.

It was drawing closer to noon when they finally reached their stop. Kagome was quick to scoop Shippou into her arms before they made their way off the train. Thankfully, Shippou didn't struggle much this time and Kagome figured it was due to him being in a new place. Once they stepped off the platform, a wide grin stretched across Kouga's face. Kagome looked up at him and grinned as well. It warmed her heart to see him so happy. It seemed like he was back in his element, and now she was burning with more questions than she had before. What made him want to move into the city? She didn't get a chance to ask him, however, as he quickly motioned for her to follow him. She chuckled softly to herself and followed behind the wolf, doing her best to match his stride and fall into step beside him.

They walked down the road in relative silence and it put Kagome in a state of peace. There was a gentle breeze blowing and the sounds of nature were all around them. She felt more in her element here, some deep _spiritual_ connection to the wilderness that rested deep inside her. As she took in her surroundings and let nature lull her, Kouga eyed her curiously. Her aura was oozing calm and her natural scent of spring rain and wildflowers had spiked. It brought a smile to his face that she seemed to be so at peace out here. If he had known a trip to the countryside would calm her _this_ much, he would've brought her _long_ ago.

They walked for several minutes before they started to hit a more forested area. Kagome looked around curiously. She wasn't really sure what she was expecting… but a wolf youkai pack having a compound in the woods? She honestly shouldn't be surprised. They were only a couple steps into the woods when Kouga heard a slight rustling in the distance, which was quickly followed by a howl. Kagome jumped, not having had the warning Kouga did. He rolled his eyes and placed a hand on the miko's shoulder. She looked up at him then and he offered her a comforting smile.

"It's alright, Kagome. They're being idiots, even though I told them not to." He knew that announcing arrivals was protocol, but they couldn't have given a more noticeable warning?

Several answering howls sounded out, and Kagome looked around, wide-eyed. Shippou clung closer to the miko, burying his face into her collar, but keeping one eye open and looking around. A few moments after the howls ended, they could hear the sound of something running towards them. Before too long, a large wolf came sprinting up and skidded to a halt in front of them. Kouga was grateful that they had some sense to use the road and _not_ jump out from the woods like they usually did.

A gasp was caught in Kagome's throat as she stared at the wolf. The beast was huge, standing at near perfect eye level with her, the wolf having to duck their head slightly in order to look her in the eyes. The fur was mostly a silvery gray in color, though there were some darker patches of black as well that started from the top of their head, spanning across the youkai's ears and then running down their back. Blue eyes were staring at her, but they weren't a bright blue like Kouga's, they were darker, closer to the blue of the ocean.

The wolf drew closer to her and Shippou further buried himself into Kagome's collarbone. She brought a hand up to rub his back gently, hoping to soothe the kit. She watched, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted in shock as the wolf pushed their nose into her personal space and began to sniff at her. She stood perfectly still aside from the hand that was rubbing Shippou's back. They sniffed her fervently, moving their nose closer to her hair for a moment before pulling back and leaning in to get a better sniff at Shippou. The kit let out a whine, clutching tightly to Kagome.

"Ginta!" Kouga snapped. The wolf quickly backed away, curling in on themselves with their ears flat against their head and tail tucked. A low whine escaped the wolf's throat and Kouga rolled his eyes. "Go and get everything ready. And remind them of what I said." he said, the underlying threat clear to the other youkai.

Kagome watched as Ginta's eyes seemed to widen at that. The youkai was quick to turn and take off towards where, she assumed, the compound was. The miko turned to look at Kouga, and he could see the curiosity burning in her.

He let out a sigh. "That's Ginta, my beta. He won't hurt you Shippou, sorry he scared you." He stepped closer to the two of them then and Shippou pulled away from Kagome to look up at Kouga. The wolf gave the kit a small smile and ruffled his auburn locks. Shippou smiled back up at him and then Kouga directed his gaze to Kagome. "Let's get going, shall we?"

"Y-Yeah.." she replied, still slightly shocked. Kouga chuckled and motioned for her to follow him before resuming their trek through the woods. It took Kagome a couple seconds before her feet were able to move, and by then she had to break into a slight jog in order to catch up with Kouga. Several more howls resounded through the forest, and to Kagome it was almost as if it was one howl echoing continuously. Kouga, however, could tell each voice apart. He was fighting down his urge to howl back, not wanting to startle Kagome.

He looked down at her then and his eyebrows knitted together in concern. "He didn't frighten you, did he?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Kagome looked up at him, and it was clear to him then that she wasn't afraid, not in the slightest. "No I'm just… I'm amazed. He was so.. _big!_ I knew that youkai were larger than normal wolves but… I never expected it to be that big of a difference."

Kouga chuckled. "Well, if you thought he was big, you should see me when _I_ shift." He could see the excitement in her eyes and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Maybe he would've been better off not saying anything… "I don't think I'll be shifting tonight, but maybe the next full moon-"

"I'd love that." she said, too quickly. Kagome's cheeks flushed, and she looked away from him then, looking ahead of them now. "I just.. It would be an honor to join you all on a full moon." she added, her voice a whisper now.

"Well you can count me out!" Shippou said, crossing his arms over his chest. Kagome laughed, bringing a hand up to ruffle his hair.

"That's alright Shippou, we won't make you do anything you don't want to." she replied softly.

Kouga chuckled, feeling a bit more at ease now that he knew Kagome and Shippou were alright. With that, they were walking again. By now, the howls had died down, but they could hear the rustling of bushes throughout the forest. Kagome looked around, doing her best to take in the scenery around her. The trees were tall, unimaginably tall, but she figured this is what his pack needed and was likely used to. They soon came to a break in the foliage on the right side of the road and Kouga nodded his head in the direction of the dirt path that lay there.

She followed behind him, continuing to look around in awe. She felt a rush of wind go past her, and once it cleared, she looked up to see a wolf running up ahead of them for a second before they disappeared. She giggled and brushed her hair back with her free hand. "There sure seems to be a lot of you. How big is your pack?" she asked.

"There's 43 of us, including the pups."

Kagome's eyes widened at that. "There's that many of you?" She knew that wolf youkai packs tended to be big, but she hadn't really expected there to be that many.

Kouga simply shrugged, looking down at her with a wicked grin. "The northern tribe is even bigger."

"Wow…" she mumbled.

He chuckled and shook his head a bit. "Come on, if we take any longer they'll get impatient. And they might eat all the food." Kagome nodded, and they picked up their pace after that. The dirt path began to widen as they drew closer to their destination. Once Kagome was able to get a good look at the compound, a small gasp escaped her. There were small little plots of land in front of the first building that were filled with flowers and surrounded by a ring of stones. The building itself was in a traditional style, and Kagome found it really fitting. It looked like it had come straight out of the Feudal Era, and she had no doubt that it did. She was almost certain that they had found this building long ago and maintained it throughout the years.

As they drew closer, she could tell that the building was quite large, but there were two other buildings nearby and all three looked nearly identical. She stood there, taking it all in. They had such a lovely home, and she found herself wondering, once again, why Kouga would want to leave such a beautiful area.

She wasn't able to look around much longer, however, as the paneling for the wall of the first building slid open and several youkai came pouring out. There was a chorus of cheers, mainly greetings directed towards Kouga. Once they had finished greeting their alpha, they were all quick to turn towards the miko and kit. They all seemed to be eager, maybe a bit _too_ eager, to meet her. They started to talk over top of each other and Kagome felt her head spin.

Kouga was quick to come to her aid, letting out a warning growl. The eager youkai were quick to silence themselves and step away from Kagome and Shippou. He stepped closer to Kagome, his arm reached for her for a split second before he was quick to control himself. Instead of grabbing her by the waist and pulling her close to his side, he crossed his arms over his chest and gave a glare. "One at a time, you idiots. Don't overwhelm her like that."

Another youkai came running up then. His silvery gray hair was cut short, aside from a tuft of black hair that sat close to his forehead, right in the center. As he drew close, Kagome's eyes widened as she looked up at him. She recognized those eyes.

"Ginta, you were supposed to keep everyone in check." Kouga growled.

"S-Sorry boss, they're just really excited." He brought a hand up to scratch behind his head then, nervousness clear in his expression and actions. "Hakkaku and I have been trying to keep them in line but…" His eyes shifted away from Kouga's purely out of instinct, but he accidentally found Kagome's earthy brown ones, staring at him in wonder. His posture changed significantly as a wide grin spread across his face. "You're Kagome, right? It's a pleasure to meet you, Sis!" he said, reaching out to shake her hand.

She took his hand in hers and shook it, a smile creeping onto her face as well. "You're the wolf from earlier, right?" At his answering nod, she giggled a bit. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Ginta, officially that is." she replied with another laugh.

Kouga cleared his throat, catching his beta's attention and causing the poor youkai to jump. Ginta straightened himself out as he turned to face his alpha and salute him as quickly as possible. "You were saying?" he asked.

Ginta swallowed nervously and kept his gaze directed at the treetops. "We've been doing our best to keep everyone calm, sir! And the food is almost ready!"

Kouga nodded and let out a small hum. Ginta relaxed then, letting out a small breath of a sigh as he brought a hand up to his chest. Kagome stood there, amazed at watching the interaction. She hadn't seen this side of Kouga before.. it was interesting to watch. Shippou shifted uncomfortably in her arms and she looked down at him.

"What is it, Shippou?" she asked.

"Can I get down?" She smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of his head before loosening her grip on the kit. He then jumped out of her arms and trotted over to the flowers, looking them over. She watched him, smiling softly. She was glad he felt comfortable enough now to leave her hold.

Kouga looked over at them then, but his eyes quickly fixated on Kagome. A warm smile stretched his lips and it didn't go by unnoticed. One of the wolves jabbed him in the ribs, trying to smother a snicker with their other hand. Kouga turned to glare at them, but the force of it was reduced significantly by the blush staining his cheeks. He was going to be in for it when Kagome wasn't around, he could feel it.

"Why don't you all get back to work?" he snapped. They all snickered but were quick to take off so they wouldn't have to face their alpha's wrath. He turned back to the miko and she was looking up at him curiously. His blush darkened slightly as he brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck. "Why don't we go inside for a bit?" he asked, averting his eyes for a moment.

She grinned. "Yeah, I'd love that." He made the mistake of shifting his eyes to look at her. He quickly looked away and started walking towards the nearest building, hoping to hide his growing blush.

"Let's go, then."

Kagome nodded and turned to call for Shippou, but she saw that he was now getting greeted by several children. She smiled and quickly caught up to Kouga, falling into step beside him. There was a small set of wooden stairs that led up to the outer walkway, four of them in total. There was also a set of stones nearby of varying sizes. Kagome assumed those were for the children to use, 1) so they could have a bit of fun, and 2) so they wouldn't get in the way of any adults trying to use the stairs. Once up on the walkway, Kouga promptly plopped down onto the floor and started to take his shoes off, she was quick to follow suit. They left their shoes on the ground near the stones before getting up. Kouga then ushered her inside the main room, the walls still open from the small flood of youkai from earlier.

There was a fire pit in the middle of the room, and there were four wolves surrounding it. There was a pot resting over a low flame, and whatever was in there smelled _amazing_. They all looked up when the two entered the room and greeted them warmly. One of them stood up and walked over, a warm smile on her face. Her hair was light brown in color and she had vibrant green eyes. She had a mole underneath her left eye and another near the corner of her mouth, on the right side.

"Hey, I'm Kamelia. It's a pleasure to meet you." she said, thrusting a hand out for Kagome to shake.

The miko gladly accepted. "The pleasure is mine! I'm Kagome, and thank you very much for having me."

She watched as the youkai's eyes slid over to look at Kouga, a look Kagome couldn't quite place on her features. The miko's eyes shifted to look at Kouga, but she couldn't see his face. Kagome was about to ask what was going on when three children ran into the room, laughing and hollering. Kagome watched in fascination as one of them suddenly started to shift into their wolf form, his laughter turning into yips as they ran out of the room and hopped off the walkway.

"Kagome." The miko's attention was pulled away from the kids running around and she turned to face Kamelia. The wolf beamed at her and she couldn't help but smile back. "C'mon, why don't we introduce you to everyone."

"Oh uh, sure! But um.. it might take me a while to remember who everyone is…" she said with a nervous laugh.

Kamelia laughed heartily at that before placing a hand on the miko's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Sis. No one's going to expect you to remember all of us in one night!"

She nodded, a bit relieved, and then followed the wolf around as she introduced the other wolves in the room. As Kagome was taken off to meet everyone, Kouga was left on his own with the three remaining wolves surrounding the fire pit. All three turned to look at him, giving him smug looks as soon as the miko was out of the room. He blushed fiercely. "What?" he snapped.

"Nothing, boss." Suzu said, giggling. They did their best to stop giggling, covering their mouth with their hand, but it was of no use. Kouga rolled his eyes.

"Oh don't be like that, Kouga. We see how much you like her." Keiji said, quickly coming to Suzu's defense. "From what we've seen of her so far, we like her too." he added, grinning at their alpha.

Kouga scoffed. "Like I need _your_ approval." he mumbled. In reality though, he did, and he was grateful he had it. Of course, alphas could claim anyone they wanted, but their mate wasn't always guaranteed to be accepted. If they weren't accepted, then they wouldn't have the pack's respect. The mate would still be protected, but it wouldn't be as big of a priority if they had been accepted.

"Don't be such a hard ass!" Aika laughed, poking the fire as she did so.

A grin spread across Kouga's face then. "Oh yeah? And what if I knock your skull in?"

"As if!" she fired back, her laughter increasing.

Kouga shook his head and made his way out of the room. As he passed by, he gave Aika a light punch in the shoulder. She cried out and fell down overdramatically, clutching her shoulder as she "wailed" about how mean he was. He simply laughed before he left the room, sliding the door closed behind him. He made his way down the walkway, looking for his betas. He could sense Kagome's aura in the next building and he chuckled a bit to himself. Kamelia sure was eager for the miko to meet everyone, though he couldn't blame her. Even though he bad mouthed them at times, he loved his packmates and he was excited for her to meet them all.

After walking around for a moment, he found Hakkaku overseeing the firepit in the "backyard". They didn't really have a yard, per se.. they just kind of "owned" the entire forest and just did with it as they pleased. He approached the wolf and Hakkaku greeted him with a grin on his face.

"How is everything?" Kouga asked, standing next to his beta and looking at the group surrounding the fire. They had a boar roasting over the open flame and it looked – and smelled – to be almost done.

"Everything is going great, boss! We had a successful hunt this morning and all the other preparations should be finishing up as well." he answered. There was a moment of silence between them before Hakkaku turned to look at Kouga, a sly grin on his face. "We met Kagome."

"And?" Kouga asked, trying to sound indifferent.

"Why'd you keep her away from us for so long?" he teased, bumping his shoulder into Kouga's. The alpha couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"She's busy with her life, you know? Going to school to be a doctor is difficult." he defended.

"Excuses, excuses." Hakkaku replied, waving a hand in front of his face.

Kouga looked at him, a devilish glint in his eyes. "Are you challenging me?" he asked with a smirk.

Even though Hakkaku knew his alpha was joking, he knew it was better to not agree. "No, of course not boss. All I'm saying is hopefully you'll bring her around more." he answered with a shrug.

Kouga laughed and clapped a hand onto Hakkaku's shoulder. "I'll try my best." His heart felt light, thrilled at the overwhelming positivity Kagome was receiving.

Hakkaku chuckled and gave Kouga a playful jab in the ribs. "Now it's all up to you, boss." he teased. Kouga couldn't stop the blush that immediately burned his cheeks. This caused the beta to burst out into laughter, causing a few heads to turn and look. A couple more wolves broke out into chuckles and before too long, Kouga snapped at them with empty threats. Two wolves rolled their eyes and waved off his threats. Kouga grumbled under his breath how they were all ungrateful.

Kagome, meanwhile, had just finished meeting everyone. Well, all of the adults at least. She had only met a couple of the children, but they were all too busy running around and playing. There were a couple times where she had seen Shippou with them and it made her happy. The kit had said a quick "hello" before he took off, chasing a shifted child in an intense game of tag.

"So, how did you come across the kit?" Kamelia asked, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"Ah well… that's a _bit_ of a story." Kagome replied with a bit of a nervous laugh. She took in a breath and slowly released it, doing her best to calm her nerves. "I guess to make a long story short, about a month ago, I found him in an alley about to be killed by a random youkai and I saved him. He's been with us ever since." she said with a shrug, trying to play off her nerves. Kamelia, of course, could see right through her.

The wolf frowned and placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder, hoping to bring the miko some comfort. "I'm sorry you had to experience something like that, I'm sure it was terrifying." Kagome simply nodded and Kamelia gave her a soft smile. "So, have you adopted the kit, then?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow as she slowly removed her hand from the miko's shoulder.

"I mean, in a way I guess. It.. hasn't really been… _official,_ I guess?" she said, shrugging. To be honest, Kagome hadn't even really put much thought into the situation, mostly wanting to ignore that horrible day and put it in the furthest recesses of her mind. But Kamelia brought up something that had been tugging at her. How _was_ Shippou still with them? Surely he would've been taken away and put in foster care by now, right? Before Kagome could think about it any longer, Kamelia was leading her back outside and making a beeline for Kouga.

He could sense their approach and he turned towards them, flashing them a warm smile. "How'd it go?" he asked.

"There's way too many of you." Kagome replied with a laugh.

Kouga laughed as well. "Well, maybe one day you'll learn everyone's names and faces." he said, hoping to give her some encouragement.

"Yeah, hopefully!" she replied, beaming at him. Gods she really needed to stop that… Kouga wasn't sure how much his heart could take. Kamelia giggled and his eyes shifted up to look at her. She sent him a wink, and then she was going back into the first building to help out at the fire pit in there. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her.

Soon, the food was all finished and everything that was being cooked inside the buildings was brought outside. There was a small table set up where all the food was placed, and Kagome was impressed at the sheer amount. She knew that the pack was large, but it seemed like they had doubled the amount of food she would've expected. It was soon made clear why they needed to double the amount. Once she and Shippou had made themselves a plate of food, the pack descended on the table like they hadn't eaten in a week. Some growls broke out amongst a couple of them, but they were quickly put to an end before any fights could break out.

Kouga was quick to join Kagome, sitting down on the walkway. They didn't have any chairs set up, most of the youkai opting to sit on the ground or on some rocks that were nearby. They chatted happily with each other, and Kagome let out a laugh as she watched the kids, including Shippou, scarf down their food so they could get back to playing. She watched as they took off as soon as their plates were empty and started chasing each other and squealing with laughter. It warmed her heart.

She had been about halfway through her meal when Ginta looked up at her from his spot on the ground, a smile on his face. "So Sis, what made you want to be a doctor?" he asked.

It took Kagome a moment to finish chewing the chunk of boar she had in her mouth. Once she was done, she returned the beta's smile. "I've always wanted to help people, and maybe that's a side effect of being a miko.. But it's something I've always wanted to do. I knew from a pretty young age." she answered with a bit of a laugh.

"It's expensive though, right? How are you paying for it?" another wolf chimed in. She believed their name was… Jun?

"Well… since I'm a miko, it's pretty much a full ride." she said with a shrug. "Mikos have an innate ability to heal both body and soul, so the medical industry really likes to have us around. However, there's a shortage of mikos working in the medical field. Only about a third of us are either already working in it or going to school for it. That third is then split in half between human/youkai medicine, and the veterinary field."

"What about the rest?" Hakkaku asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, either they're working at a shrine, or they're working some other job." she answered with a shrug. "So, for any miko that shows interest in medicine, they're willing to pay for everything. Housing and food is a bit of a problem though, as they can only give out so much for that. They _used_ to pay for it fully, but when other students just started banking off of what mikos were receiving, it proved to be a problem. So, they put us on a sort of allowance system. It works for the most part, as long as we live within our means." she added with another shrug.

"Ah.. I see… It sucks they had to cut you off like that." Suzu said, a slight frown on their face.

Kagome waved off their worry. "Ah, it's not that big of a deal. I'm just grateful to not have to worry about being in debt." she replied with another laugh.

The conversation then devolved into other things, and eventually broke off into different groups. The conversations carried on throughout the afternoon, only breaking off on occasion to yell at the kids to be more careful. When it came time to put everything away, Kagome tried to help but was turned away. She pouted but accepted her fate. It felt weird not being able to help out, but she recognized she was a guest and they were just doing their best to host and show her a good time. She appreciated it; she hadn't realized how much she really needed this..

The sun started to hang low in sky, and as it did, a couple wolves started to tend to the fire, building it up. She watched curiously as several shifted into wolves and took off into the woods. Kouga came walking back up to Kagome, plopping down next to her on the floor. "They're going out to hunt again.. _and_ round up any kids that may be out wandering around." he said with a chuckle. "They're mostly looking for any stray pups." he added.

Kagome giggled a bit. She placed her hands behind her and leaned back on them slightly as she looked up at the treetops. "It's beautiful here, and everyone is so nice." she said, a huge grin on her face. She then turned to Kouga, her cheek resting against her shoulder as she flashed him the warm smile on her face. "Thank you, Kouga. This day has been great, and I really needed a relaxing day."

He paused for a moment before a dopey grin crossed his features. "Of course, Kagome. Any time you wanna come out here, just let me know."

"Thank you." she said, then looked back up at the treetops, catching glimpses of the sky fading into a red-orange hue as the sun went down.

The wolves that had taken off earlier soon came back with 3 pups in tow. The sun was now almost completely set, and the fire was quite tall, casting a wide range of light. Wolves were seated around it, laughing and having a good time. Not too long after the sun finally went down, Kamelia came out of one of the buildings with an armful of alcohol. A chorus of cheers rose up from the wolves surrounding the fire and she laughed heartily as she passed out several bottles. From there, things really seemed to pick up.

Not all the wolves drank, but a good majority did. They grew rowdy and a few started to wrestle. Kagome watched, a huge grin on her face as she tried to stifle her laughter. However, the miko grew a tad embarrassed as raunchy jokes started to fly around, whenever they were sure the pups weren't anywhere within hearing range. And she thought Miroku was bad… She vowed to never let the man anywhere _near_ the pack, for Sango's sake.

She noticed a shift in dialogue and not too long after, a small horde of children came barreling through. The pack had 13 pups as of right now, all of varying ages. From what Kagome could tell, all 13 were now present, along with Shippou. The small kit was showing off a couple tricks he had learned to do with his foxfire. It absolutely fascinated the pups that were nearby. One little girl squealed, falling down to the ground on her back and started rolling. In the midst of her rolling around, she shifted into her wolf form and started yipping away.

Kagome laughed and felt a bit of pride swell in her chest as she watched Shippou. However… She turned to look at Kouga then, whose eyes were on the fox. "Hey Kouga?" He straightened up then and turned to look at her. "Why do they do that? Shift at random, I mean." she asked curiously. It was something she had been wondering as soon as she saw it happen but hadn't really had the chance to ask.

"Ah, well y'see," he leaned back on his hands then, "they can't really control it yet." At her raised eyebrow, he let out a chuckle. "For wolf youkai, it takes several years for us to learn how to control our shifts. Until then, we shift with heightened emotions. Pups are really excitable, so they're constantly going in and out of their wolf form. Tantrums are fun to deal with. One minute you have a child screaming and crying and in the blink of an eye there's a wolf running around and tearing everything up, gnawing on furniture, y'know." he answered with a hearty laugh.

Kagome giggled a bit at the mental image she received from hearing that. "So I'm assuming kitsune are different then?" she asked.

"Yeah. I don't know the details, but they're different from wolves in that regard."

She let out a hum and then tilted her head up to look at the sky. Or well, what little she could of it. From what she could see peeking through the treetops, the sky was littered with stars. She wondered how clear the sky was out here…. Kouga kept his eyes on her then, a soft, warm smile creeping onto his face. He watched her for a short while, happy to see her relaxing for once before he turned back to Shippou, watching as the kit created a small green flame in his paw.

"Hey.." He turned back to face Kagome, eyebrows knitted together at her serious tone. She was still looking up at the sky. "I… Do you think it would be possible for me to adopt Shippou?" The question caught him completely off guard.

"Why are you asking me?" he asked, a hint of a laugh in his tone.

Kagome flushed. "I don't know. I mean, I don't know if a human has ever adopted a youkai before." she defended, looking at him now with a pout. "I know that youkai have adopted human children.. but I dunno, I've just never, personally, heard of humans adopting youkai children. I just.. are there any rules against that?" she asked.

"No, there are none."

Relief flooded the miko and she let out a sigh of content. "Oh thank goodness." She sat up straight and ran a hand through her hair. Kouga chuckled and sat up as well.

"What were you so worried about?" he asked.

"I just…" She bit her lower lip as she tried to find the proper wording, resting her hands on her lap and twiddling her fingers. "I was talking to Kamelia and it hit me that no one ever came to take him away and put him in foster care. I was just… I don't know, I thought it was kind of weird."

Kouga stiffened beside her. _Oh shit…_ He brought a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. He let out a sigh. "Well.. there is a reason for that." She turned to look at him then, curiosity burning in her eyes. "Let's just say I managed to pull some strings."

"How so?"

He was afraid she would press him further. He leaned back on his hands once again, looking up at the trees. "As I'm sure you know, there is a high council for youkai that governs over specific laws for other youkai. Most humans don't know about the specifics of these laws, as they are strictly in place to keep youkai in check and are really only ever brought up at youkai courts. Well… that council is made up of several influential powers from the Feudal Era. And uh.. I'm one of them." He nervously turned his head to look at her then. The miko's eyes were wide and her mouth was parted slightly in shock.

"You.. w- _what?_ "

"I was ruler of the Eastern lands back then. The Feudal Era was a very prosperous time for us youkai, and we agreed we wanted to keep at least some semblance of the past alive, so the decision was made to have the high council remain relatively the same. If anything, we've gained more members on it, adding several other influential youkai on. They didn't have as much as the rest of us, but their input was needed." he replied with a shrug. At her continued look of disbelief, he flushed, bringing his hand back up to the back of his neck. "Look, it's not like I ever wanted to be a part of it, even back then. It's just something that kind of happened. And hey, some of the perks are pretty nice, I'll have to admit."

She simply nodded, and her continued silence made him all the more nervous. He shifted uncomfortably and eventually sat up straight once again. "Can ya at least say something?" he asked with a dry laugh, trying to play off his nerves.

"I just… I don't know _what_ to say. That's just…. I don't know. It's definitely a surprise, that's for sure." Her eyes shifted away from his then and she caught her bottom lip between her teeth, nibbling on it in thought. "All I can think of to say is.. well.. thank you," her gaze met his once more, "for finding a way to keep Shippou around." A small smile spread across her face, the light from the fire casting on her features making her look all the more serene and angelic. Kouga felt his heart skip a beat.

He returned her smile and gave a shrug. "It's no problem at all."

"Well, thank you nonetheless." Her smile widened, and she leaned back on her hands once more. "We can discuss it with Shippou later, and then get everything set up, I guess?" she asked.

"Yeah, sounds good, Kagome."

 **..::YatM::..**

They had stayed out much later than anticipated. Kagome had to carry Shippou home, as the small kit had been falling asleep before they had even left the compound. Kagome had received three numbers: Kamelia's, Ginta's, and Hakkaku's. She had only expected to receive Kamelia's, but when the two betas had heard the miko asking for the wolf's number, they were all too eager to offer theirs as well. She had laughed and went along with it, though Kouga seemed to be a bit irritated and mumbled something under his breath that she couldn't quite catch. The three other wolves had though apparently, as they snickered and rolled their eyes, Ginta giving Kouga a playful shove.

By now, they were leaving the station and making their way back to the apartment. Kagome was feeling quite tired, but she felt good all the same. She had had a fantastic time, and it was nice to see another side of Kouga. The two had been silent on the ride home, but it was a comfortable silence. Though now that they were alone, she figured now would be a good time to ask something that had been on her mind all day.

"Hey Kouga?"

"Hmm?" He looked down at her, an eyebrow raised curiously.

"Why were they all calling me 'Sis'?" she asked.

He grinned and placed a hand on top of her head, ruffling her hair playfully. "Easy, you're part of the pack, Kagome." Of course, he wasn't giving her the full truth.. but that other bit could come later, when he was ready to tell Kagome about his feelings.

Her eyes widened at that, clearly shocked. The shock soon faded, and she beamed, simply overjoyed. "Oh wow… Well, it's an honor." she said with a giggle.

Kouga grinned and then started to run his claws through her hair, fixing her hair that he had messed up. It wasn't anything too bad; it was easily fixed with a couple run-throughs with his claws. Kagome blushed at the contact, but she didn't protest. It felt nice…

They soon arrived at the apartment and Kouga opened the door for her. She thanked him and stepped in, easily slipping out of her shoes and shifting Shippou in her arms. Kouga was quick to follow her into the apartment, locking the door behind him and taking his shoes off as well. They walked into the living area and Kagome tossed her purse onto the couch, not really caring right now. She yawned as she turned to look at Kouga.

"I'm probably gonna head straight to bed, I'm really tired." she said with a laugh. "I had fun though, and we should set up another day soon."

Kouga's heart soared at her words and a huge grin spread across his face. "Yeah, of course! Just let me know when and I'll get them off their asses." he replied with a laugh.

Kagome chuckled a bit as well. "Well, good night, Kouga."

"Night Kagome."

He watched her as she exited the room and listened to her footsteps as she shuffled down the hall. Once her door had opened and closed, he let out a sigh and sat down on the couch for a moment. He needed to get up and patrol around the apartment… but he would take a minute or two to sit. The wolf ran a hand over his face, almost as if that would wipe the goofy grin off his face. He was thrilled that she loved the pack so much. She didn't know it yet, but that sentiment really meant a lot to him. It gave him a lot of hope for the future, hopefully one he would share with her. After allowing himself a few moments to gloat, he got up off the couch, pulling out his phone and sending a quick text to Ginta.

 **Get two people down here to patrol once everything is all finished there. Don't let anyone who's drunk come.**

He knew the last part was obvious, but he felt the need to put it in the text regardless. He wasn't going to take any chances. Sure, there hadn't been anything since Shippou's errand, but it was always better to be safe rather than sorry. Kouga made his way to the door, slipping his shoes back on and grabbing his keys. He unlocked the door and stepped outside. Closing and locking the door behind him quickly, he shoved his keys into his pocket as he made his way down the hallway and down the steps.

The moon was in its waxing phase, just a little over a half moon. There was plenty of light coming from the moon and the streetlights, so he knew he wouldn't miss anything sight-wise. He just needed to make sure he listened and smelled well. He walked along the sidewalk that went around the building, hands in his pockets and walking slowly. He took his time, using all of his senses to try and pick out anything that may seem out of place. It was imperative since he would be alone for who knows how long.

When he reached the back of the building, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took a moment to decide whether or not to answer it. Letting out a sigh, he pulled the device out and looked down at the text he had received from his beta.

 **Roka and Chiyo are on their way, sir!** (￣^￣)ゞ

Kouga nodded and slipped it back into his pocket, not bothering to send out a reply. He let out a sigh and was about to start moving again when something made his hackles rise. Before he could move, the street lamp in front of him went out, and he could hear the crackling of electricity. A growl rumbled in his chest, quickly growing into a snarl as he whirled around, trying to find the youkai he _knew_ was there. He just knew that this _had_ to be the youkai that had threatened Kagome and Shippou, but for the life of him he couldn't pick up any sort of youki.

His eyes began to bleed red as his frustration grew. "Show yourself!" he snarled, claws and fangs extending.

Nothing answered him, and his anger grew. He sniffed the air, pulsed his youki, _anything_ to try and pick up on this hidden youkai. He heard something clatter to the ground behind him. The wolf whirled around, ready to tear out the youkai's throat only to see that there was nothing there, nothing except an umbrella.


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Planning

Hey everyone! Sorry it's late.. I got a new job recently and I'm waiting to start training and I've been getting ready for the new semester to start. I'm not sure what my hours are going to be at work, but seeing as how I'm only taking two classes this semester I might be busy. So, I'm not sure how frequent these next updates will be. Hopefully it won't be awful, haha! Anywho, hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Kouga was shaken, to say the least. Once Roka and Chiyo had arrived, he informed them of what happened and to keep a close eye out. He then went inside the apartment to take some time to calm his rage. He hated how this youkai was playing with him. He looked down at the umbrella in his hand and felt the anger rush back into him. Of course. Of _course_ they would use something of Kagome's to not only find her, but to toy with him, and likely her as well.

A snarl ripped out of his throat as his eyes bled red. His grip on the umbrella tightened, to the point of almost breaking it. What infuriated him more was that there was no smell on the umbrella. Kagome's scent was all but gone now, and there was just _nothing_. How was this youkai able to conceal their scent so _perfectly?_

He could feel himself shifting, his snarls becoming more animalistic as his claws and fangs extended. He needed to calm down. He couldn't shift here… He took in several deep breaths, trying his best to calm himself down. It took him close to 20 minutes to finally dull his rage. He still had some anger bubbling in him, but at least he wasn't on the verge of shifting. He set the umbrella down on the table and then took a seat on the couch, letting out a sigh and leaning back. He covered his eyes with his hand, pressing his thumb and middle finger into his temples. He would need to tell Shippou and Kagome about this… tell them to be safe and wary. But how to tell the kit?

Kouga let out a groan and ran his hand down his face. He had a long night ahead of him, trying to keep his cool while attempting to process everything that happened. He also needed to find a way to tell Shippou without scaring the kit too much. The poor thing had been through enough already. He sighed as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He scrolled through his contacts until he came on Ginta's name. He tapped the call button and then brought the phone up to his ear. They would need to work on some things, get the apartment more protected. He was tempted to take Kagome and Shippou and move out to the compound. However, he wasn't sure if Kagome would want to make that commute. Soon, Ginta picked up the phone, a bit confused.

"Hey, what's up, boss?" he asked.

"A lot.."

"Oh boy…" Ginta whispered.

 **..::YatM::..**

Kagome woke up that morning with a snoring Shippou on her chest. The kit was curled up into a tight ball, his arms wrapped around his tail. She smiled softly at him and ran her fingers through his hair for a moment. The miko let out a yawn then and gingerly picked the kit up and set him down on a pillow she had lying next to her. She watched him for a couple seconds, making sure she hadn't woken him up before she got up and left her room.

She made sure to close the door quietly behind her. Once it was closed, she took a moment to stretch, her arms reaching above her head as her back arched. She let out a sigh and her body snapped into a normal position, arms falling limp at her side. She rubbed at her eyes for a couple seconds before she started to make her way down the hall. It was oddly quiet, and she frowned slightly. Was Kouga still in his room? She soon exited the hall and she looked around.

Kouga was sitting on the couch, hunched over with his elbows resting on his knees, head in his hands. She frowned and walked towards him. "Kouga?"

His head snapped up. "Kagome.." He seemed surprised to see her and that made her worry more.

"Hey, what's wro-" Her eyes shifted down towards the table and widened as she finally noticed the umbrella. It felt like she was thrown into a tub of ice. A lump formed in her throat and she could feel her hands start to shake. "Is.. is that.."

"Yeah.. They were here last night." he said. She could hear the growl in his voice and she felt a chill run down her spine.

Tears began to well in her eyes as her panic grew, something tightening in her chest. "They've had it this whole time… They.. they found us because of me.. Oh _gods_ …" A sob caught in her throat and she clasped a hand over her mouth as the tears began to spill. She screwed her eyes shut, and just as her knees started to give in, she felt Kouga wrap her up in his arms. Her eyes widened in shock at the sudden gesture.

"Don't you blame yourself for this Kagome. This isn't your fault." he mumbled, squeezing her close. She only whimpered in response and wrapped her arms around him, giving into the comfort he was providing. "I won't let them hurt you. Either of you. That's a promise." There was a hint of a growl in his voice at his promise and he tightened his grip on her.

Kagome didn't respond, not really trusting herself to give a proper one as of right now. Instead, she let herself stay wrapped up in his arms, trying to soothe the panic she was feeling. He was right; she couldn't blame herself for this. If this youkai really wanted to find them, they would've gone through any means necessary. Of course, she still felt partially responsible.. but she shouldn't beat herself up too much over it. She hadn't been thinking, only acting on instinct to save Shippou. _Oh gods,_ _ **Shippou**_ _…._ How were they going to tell him?

"How are we going to tell Shippou without frightening him too much?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

"I'm not sure.." he replied, his voice also hushed.

They stood there in silence for a few moments, still wrapped up in each other's arms. Kagome was reluctant to let go of the warmth and comfort she found in the wolf, so she lingered for a while longer. Eventually, though, she let out a sigh and started to pull away. Kouga was just as reluctant to let her go, but he did it anyway. She nibbled on her lip, wringing her wrists as she tried to fight her nerves.

"I was going to go over and see Sango today… Would that be a bad idea?" she asked, looking up at him. If it wasn't for her smell, the look in her eyes would have _definitely_ given away how terrified the miko was.

"Don't let this stop you, Kagome. You'll be safe, I promise." He could tell she was still uncertain, but she nodded despite that. He did his best to give her a comforting smile, bringing a hand to her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Go see Sango today and have fun, alright?"

Kagome only nodded, and he figured he would have to take it. He walked past her then, ruffling her hair in an attempt to perk her up a bit. She let out a giggle, and a smile worked its way onto his face as he made his way into the kitchen. He started pulling things out of the fridge and cabinets and Kagome watched him for a few moments. She smiled a bit to herself and then went over to the couch to sit down, fixing her hair as she did so.

Once she was seated, she leaned back and let out a soft sigh. While Kouga was cooking their breakfast, she might as well try to figure out a way to tell Shippou without scaring him too much. She knew he was going to be scared regardless, but maybe if she worded it correctly, he would only be but so frightened. It was worth a shot, at least.

It wasn't long before the smell of food was filling the apartment and a sleepy Shippou emerged from the hallway. The kit rubbed his eyes as he made his way to Kagome. She smiled softly at him and opened up her arms for him. He climbed onto the couch and curled up in the miko's arms, letting out a yawn. Kagome couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you still tired?" she asked.

"Yeah, but I'm hungry." he mumbled.

She laughed again, bringing a hand up to fix his bedhead. Shippou grumbled at this, but he was too tired to stop her. She giggled more and once she was done, she pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Do you wanna come with me to Sango's today?" she asked.

Shippou thought it over for a few moments, rubbing at his eyes a bit more. "I might stay here with Kouga." he replied.

"Okay, you can do that." she said, smiling softly at the kit.

He nodded, and from there the two were quiet, listening to Kouga cook. The miko watched him from her spot on the couch, fascinated. He moved quite elegantly in the kitchen, and it was mesmerizing to watch. She ran her fingers through Shippou's hair as she watched the wolf work. Before too long, it seemed that he was finishing up, as he moved to the cabinets to bring down bowls and plates. She moved to get up to offer some help, but he must've heard her move as he shot her a look and she immediately sat back down. _Well then…_ she thought, resisting the urge to laugh.

Once everything was dished up, he brought them to the table along with chopsticks. Kagome grinned and held on tightly to Shippou as she stood up and walked over to the table. She set him down once there and thanked Kouga as he made his way back into the kitchen to grab the kettle of green tea and cups for the three of them. She licked her lips as she looked down at her food. He had made white rice with a fried egg on top, miso soup, and fried some sausage. Shippou had perked up as soon as he was placed in front of the food and was digging in. Kagome grinned, fighting back a chuckle as she started eating her meal.

Kouga was quick to return, pouring some green tea for each of them before settling in and eating his food as well. "So, what are your plans with Sango for today?" he asked before biting into his sausage.

"She wants my help to plan for the wedding. Plus it's been a while since we've been able to hang out and she wants to catch up." Kagome replied with a smile. She reached for her rice bowl then, bringing it close and using her chopsticks to slice into the egg, letting the yolk pour out over the rice. "What are your plans for the day?" she asked.

"I guess whatever Shippou wants to do." he answered, looking at the kit with a smile.

"I wanna go to the park!" Shippou said excitedly. practically bouncing.

Kouga laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure we can manage that."

Kagome giggled a bit as well before shoving some of the rice and egg mixture into her mouth. The trio talked animatedly to each other, most of it coming from Shippou. The kit was excited for the fun day that was to come today, and he was also explaining a dream he had. Kouga and Kagome both listened to him intently, nodding along and asking questions at certain points, which Shippou seemed happy to expand upon. It wasn't long before they were done with their meals and Kagome was gathering up the dishes. Shippou was still talking, but he had moved on from his dream to one of his favorite shows, explaining the intricacies of certain plot points to Kouga.

The miko smiled as she watched Kouga listen intently, genuinely interested in what the kit was telling him. She then made her way into the kitchen and started to wash the dishes, setting most of them into the drainboard nearby. She was soon done with the dishes and calling for Shippou to go get dressed for the day. He sighed, but got up and ran to their room to get dressed. Kagome moved to follow him, but she paused near the entrance to the hallway, her hand gripping on the corner of the wall. She nibbled on her lower lip before turning her head to look over at Kouga. The wolf was already looking up at her, having sensed her sudden discomfort and worry.

"Are you going to talk to him? Or should I?" she asked.

"I'll do it. Don't worry yourself with it, Kagome."

She nodded, slowly. She felt bad for leaving this up to Kouga, but she was almost certain she wasn't in a good headspace to explain anything to Shippou without scaring him. Letting out a sigh, she flashed the wolf a soft smile before slipping away to go to her room. Once she was in the room, she set about helping Shippou get ready. The kit had already gotten dressed, but he was struggling with his hair. Kagome giggled and approached the kit, taking the brush that was much too big for him and brushing his hair. Once it was all brushed out, she grabbed an elastic and quickly pulled his hair up into a ponytail. The kit watched her in awe, always amazed at how quick she was.

As soon as she was done fixing his hair, he was bolting out of the room, and Kagome let out a hearty laugh. Shaking her head, she moved to the door to make sure it was closed before getting dressed. She slipped on a simple sundress, yellow in color. She then rifled through her closet, looking for a cardigan. She finally found the one she was looking for, a crème colored, short-sleeved cardigan that stopped at her waist. She then pulled her hair up into a bun before she left her room.

When she walked out, she saw Shippou was sitting by the table and watching TV. She looked over into the kitchen and saw Kouga in there preparing a lunch for himself and the kit for later in the day. A warm smile graced her features. She turned back towards the kit and walked over to him, glancing at the show on the TV. She pressed a kiss to the top of his head and smiled.

"Are you leaving Kagome?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Yup! I'll see you later tonight." she beamed.

Shippou nodded and gave the miko a hug before turning his attention back towards the TV. Kagome giggled a bit and grabbed her purse, slinging it over her shoulder. She looked back into the kitchen and Kouga had paused his work and was watching her, a questioning look in his eyes. Her smile faltered for a moment, but she quickly did her best to recover. She gave a small wave and turned to go towards the door. As she was slipping on her shoes, she heard Kouga approach.

She knew she couldn't fool him.. She let out a small sigh and turned to look up at him, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm scared, Kouga…" she whispered.

He knew she was scared; the smell of rotting flesh had never fully left her scent. It was concerning to him, but he understood her fear completely. He frowned slightly as tears began to well in her eyes and the scent of her fear increased. He moved closer to her, reaching out for her. He cupped her face in both of his hands, causing her breath to hitch in the back of her throat and her cheeks to tinge pink. His thumbs began to stroke her cheeks, just underneath her eyes, and she felt herself relax.

"You'll be fine, I promise. I'm not going to let anything happen."

"How can you be sure?" she asked, her anxiety tugging at her.

"Trust me."

She searched his eyes, and she could see how earnest he was. He wasn't lying to her… She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, slowly releasing it. She took a couple moments to steady herself, Kouga's thumbs still stroking her cheeks. Once she felt ready, she opened her eyes and smiled up at Kouga. He returned her smile and slowly pulled away from her.

"I'll text you." she murmured.

"Alright. I'll see you later, Kagome."

She nodded and then left the apartment.

 **..::YatM::..**

Getting to Sango's was second nature to Kagome; it certainly helped that she had lived there for so long. The miko was soon fast approaching the door to her best friend's apartment, a huge grin on her face. Once she stood in front of it, she knocked on the door and waited a mere two seconds before it was thrown open.

"Kagome!"

"Sango!"

The two embraced, both beaming, and rocked each other for a couple moments, giggling. After a few moments, they pulled away and Sango ushered the miko inside. They took their shoes off and were quick to move into the living area, chatting animatedly with each other. Sure, they kept in decent contact with each other, but the two preferred to do most of their talking either over the phone or in person. Sango had been too busy with work as of late to do any late-night phone calls with the miko, so now they were using this time to catch up.

Sango worked as a detective, specializing in youkai crimes. Her family ancestry of being slayers helped a lot in that aspect, as they still learned certain things about the now outdated practice. It was mostly how to lure youkai out of hiding, and how to track them down efficiently. Kagome wasn't too sure of all the specifics, as it was a family secret, and she wasn't really one to pry. Well, she could be nosy at times, but she knew when to quit, or to just never try.

For the past week, Sango has been tracking down a rather slippery youkai. From what the slayer told her, he was a toad youkai who was notorious for identity theft. She wasn't able to go into the details of the case, but Kagome didn't mind. It was interesting to hear what she could about it. She was also thankful Sango had finally caught the youkai. Maybe now the slayer would have some time to relax and focus on her wedding. Once Sango had finished explaining what she could, she looked at Kagome expectantly.

"What?" the miko asked with a laugh.

"Tell me everything. I _know_ something's bothering you."

Kagome couldn't help but roll her eyes. Sango knew her too well. Though, she supposed that's what happens when you become best friends, practically sisters. She could see right through Sango most of the time as well. "Well, I met Kouga's pack yesterday."

" _Ooo_ , how did that go?" Sango asked, leaning forward and listening intently.

"They're all really nice and welcoming! But we can't let Miroku meet them." Sango made a face at that, which made Kagome laugh. "Yeah.. as soon as drinks were passed around, the raunchy jokes started _flying_. They're worse than Miroku."

"Oh gods…"

Kagome laughed heartily at this and then went on to describe her time with the wolves. She mentioned only a few by name, still not really able to remember who all she met that day; there were just _too_ _many_. Sango was engrossed in _all_ of it, enjoying every little detail the miko threw her way. However, once it came to telling the end of the event, Kagome paused. She nibbled on her lower lip and Sango frowned.

"Go on.." she encouraged, her voice soft.

"Well… after Shippou and I went to bed, Kouga went out to patrol like he usually does. That youkai was there. They just kind of… they… M-my umbrella.. from the day I saved Shippou.. they…" Tears were spilling down her cheeks now and Sango moved closer, pulling her dear friend into a tight embrace.

"So, they've had it this whole time?" Sango asked, keeping her voice gentle and calm. Kagome nodded, not able to speak in fear of letting out a sob. By now, the miko's body was trembling and the slayer tightened her grip. "I can see if I can get put on the case if you-"

" _NO!_ " Kagome pushed away from Sango then, looking at the slayer with blurry eyes. Sango let her go with ease, surprised by the sudden outburst. "I.. I can't let you do that! I-It's bad enough that.. that we have to deal with this. I-I can't.. I _can't_ let you go through the same thing." she sobbed, burying her face in her hands.

Sango frowned at this and scooted closer to the miko once more. She pulled Kagome into her body, holding her shaking form close and running her hand up and down the miko's back. "Alright. But if you need me for anything, don't hesitate to call me, okay? I know Kouga is there and all, and he has an entire pack at his dispense, but you've got me too, okay? And I'm sure Miroku would help as well." she said.

Kagome could only nod and bury herself further into her friend. The next 25 minutes were spent with Sango doing her best to soothe her best friend. Once the miko had finished crying, Sango pulled away to grab a nearby box of tissues, handing them to Kagome to blow her nose and dry her eyes. The miko murmured a quiet "thanks" and proceeded to clean herself up. Sango ran a hand down Kagome's back before she got up to get some tea ready, knowing that some tea would help soothe her nerves.

While Sango was in the kitchen, Kagome cleaned herself up. She used tissues first, then left to go to the bathroom and wash her face with some cold water. It helped to soothe her heated cheeks and cleared up the tear streaks that had stained her cheeks. She took a moment to look herself over in the mirror. Her face's blotchiness had toned down after washing her face, but her eyes were still a bit puffy. It still wasn't as bad as it had been before washing her face but… Kagome let out a sigh and left the bathroom, turning the light off and closing the door behind herself. She made her way back over to the couch just as Sango had finished preparing the tea.

The slayer had brought out the kettle and two mugs, setting them down on the coffee table in front of the couch. She smiled reassuringly at Kagome, who returned it with a weak smile of her own. The miko plopped down onto the couch, letting out a huff as she did so. Sango sat down next to her and placed a hand on Kagome's knee.

"You feeling any better?" she asked.

Kagome shrugged a little. "Yeah, a bit I guess. It's just.. _scary_."

Sango frowned slightly. "Yeah, I understand." she said, removing her hand from Kagome's knee and bringing it to her back, rubbing soothing circles. The miko gave her a thankful smile and ran a hand over her face.

"Anyway, let's talk about something else." she said, sitting up a bit straighter.

"Yeah, of course."

"What kind of ceremony are you thinking of doing? Traditional or more Western?" she asked.

"Well…" Sango leaned back against the couch then. "Miroku and I have discussed this quite a bit, and I think we're going for a traditional wedding. He is a Buddhist of course, but I've always wanted a traditional wedding, you know? So, he's willing to compromise and will make his prayers to Buddha."

Kagome nodded a bit at that. "Yeah, that seems like a good compromise. I mean, prayers are private anyway." she said with a shrug.

"Exactly." Sango agreed, smiling.

The slayer reached for the tea, then. She poured it into the mugs, and once she was done, she picked them both up and handed Kagome a mug. The miko thanked her and took a sip, letting the warm liquid soothe her. She visibly relaxed and leaned into the back of the couch, content. It put a smile on Sango's face. From there, the two chatted idly well into the afternoon, mostly about the wedding preparations. They carried their conversation into the kitchen, where Kagome leaned against a counter and watched as Sango made a simple lunch of rice and some teriyaki veggies and shrimp. The miko was still nursing her mug of tea, but it was mostly gone. To be fair, though, it was her second cup.

As Sango was working on cooking, Kagome had switched the conversation back to her outing with the pack, going into some more details. The huge grin on her face didn't go unnoticed by Sango. "And Kamelia brought up something that I hadn't really thought about.. _Shippou._ He hadn't been taken away from us, and I asked Kouga about it later that night, at the bonfire? And he said he "pulled some strings". Which, of course, confused me. Like, what does that _mean?_ So, I asked him to elaborate and he said that he's part of the _youkai council!_ Can you believe that? An alpha of an _entire_ pack of youkai _**and**_ on the Youkai High Council? He's just.. full of surprises." she said, still somewhat shocked on the whole matter. Kagome brought the mug up to her lips and took a long sip.

Sango nodded a bit at that. "He sure seems to help you out a lot." she said.

Kagome's eyes narrowed a bit at that. She knew that tone in Sango's voice. "Yeah, I guess…"

"Have you ever considered…" she turned to look at Kagome then, a wicked grin on her face, "that maybe he likes you?" she asked.

Kagome flushed and averted her eyes from Sango's intense gaze. "No, I haven't." she replied.

Sango's grin grew. "What about the possibility of _you_ having feelings for _him?_ "

The miko's blush intensified, but she looked at her friend in shock. "W-What?!"

She turned around fully then, chopsticks in hand. "Oh, come _on_ Kagome. You can't tell me that you're not feeling _something_ , right?"

"O-Of course not! We're still getting to know each other, clearly! There's _no way_ I could develop feelings that quickly." Kagome defended. Or at least tried to. Sango just raised an eyebrow and turned back towards the food, stirring it some more.

"I'm just saying, Kagome. Think about it."

And with that, the only sound in the room was the sound of vegetables and shrimp frying. Kagome stood there, dumbstruck. She looked down at the mug in her hands, looking into her green tea as if it had the answer she was looking for. It didn't, of course, but _gods_ could the miko hope. As she stood there, contemplating, she thought back on her interactions with Kouga, especially the ones from the past few days. They had been growing closure, sure.. but was it really _that_ close?

She thought back to when she left this morning, his large, warm hands cupping her cheeks so tenderly. His hands were calloused, but the way his thumbs had smoothed her cheeks had sent an immediate wave of calm into her, and it was so soft and tender. She remembered how he had held her tightly as she panicked and cried, and how _safe_ she had felt in his arms. How she felt like she was home… A blush darkened her cheeks and her grip on the mug tightened. There was no way….


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Confessions

OOOOF.. so umm.. it's been a while, haha. Sorry my dudes. Life has just been... _ooooooof..._ So uh, yeah. Hope you enjoy! Oh! I also wanted to take a moment to thank my guest reviewers! I keep forgetting to say this cause I just copy and paste these notes from the AO3 ver. but thank you so much for reviewing! I love reading them, and I'll try to remember to thank y'all up here when you post them!

* * *

Kagome let out a huff as she reached the top of the stairs of Sanko Shrine. There had been a lot on her mind the rest of that week, and she was _actually_ looking forward to the weekend. She was eager to let out some of her pent-up emotions. She wasn't sure what to make of her feelings for Kouga. Her _possible_ feelings, she had to remind herself. She ran a hand over her face, trying to clear the thoughts from her mind. She was here to work on her reiki. She didn't need to think about this right now. With that, Kagome made her way towards the back of the shrine where Kikyo was waiting. Their greeting was silent, as always; a small bow from Kagome, a nod from Kikyo, and then they were getting down to business.

They were continuing to work on controlling just how much reiki she put out in an attack. Kikyo was constantly scolding her about how she was releasing too much, but it was difficult for Kagome to control. She wasn't sure why she had such huge bursts of reiki, that's just how it had been for her entire life. They worked on archery for roughly 3 hours before Kagome requested a break. Kikyo relented and Kagome let out a sigh as she walked over to her things, picking up her water bottle and chugging.

She turned to sit down, but was surprised when she saw Kikyo still standing there, eyeing Kagome. Usually, Kikyo went off to do something else while Kagome took her break. She raised her eyebrow at the miko. Kikyo let out a soft sigh and walked closer to Kagome.

"There's something on your mind. There was last weekend as well. What is it that you want to tell me?" she asked.

Ah.. that… Kagome took another sip of her drink to stall. She almost forgot there was something else on her mind, what with her and Sango's conversation earlier in the week. She capped her water bottle and lightly tapped her thumb on the cap. "Well.. I was curious as to where Inuyasha is. I mean, he's not been here _once,_ so I was just wondering if you send him off before I get here or something."

Kikyo's demeanor changed then. Her face became emotionless and there was a coldness in her eyes that Kagome couldn't quite place. "Why would he be here?" she asked, her voice icy.

Kagome resisted the urge to shudder. "Well I mean.. he's back in Japan after all and I figured.. he'd be.. _here_ …?" Suddenly, Kagome wasn't so sure of herself as the miko in front of her continued to show no emotions.

"I didn't know he was back."

Kagome's eyes widened, and her grip loosened on the bottle in her hands. "Wait, what?" she asked. "I.. I thought he would've come here first." she added, clearly confused.

"He has no reason to."

That just confused her more. "What do you mean by that?"

Kikyo raised an eyebrow at her question. "You don't know?" When Kagome shook her head, the miko let out a sigh. Some emotion finally came back to her face and Kagome was shocked to see just how _tired_ Kikyo looked. Tired and _hurt_. "We never _officially_ got back together. I learned he was keeping you a secret as well and I was upset with him. We got into a huge argument, and the next day he was on a plane and leaving to go "find himself" or whatever it was he said." she replied, waving her hand in clear frustration.

Kagome stood there in shock for several moments before rage consumed her. He put her through all of that pain and suffering, only to do the same to Kikyo and then _not even be with her?!_ "I swear to the gods I'm going to rip him apart." Kagome growled, her grip tightening on her water bottle to the point her knuckles were white.

Kikyo let out a chuckle and gave Kagome a wry smile. "If you do, you better invite me as well."

The banter was a surprise to Kagome, but she quickly accepted it, a grin spreading on her face. "Well of course!"

From there, the two opened up to each other about their interactions with Inuyasha, both agreeing at how ridiculous this all was. The conversation carried on for a little over an hour, and Kagome had never felt closer to Kikyo than in that moment. She had always pictured Kikyo as this cold, unfeeling woman because who could just _take_ someone while they were still in a relationship? But now that she knew the truth, she realized how unfair it was of her to judge Kikyo before she really got to know her. And from what the miko could tell, it seems as if Kikyo had made rash judgments about _her_ as well, seeing how open she was now being with her now that everything was out in the open.

They continued with the training then, and the air around them was light. Kagome would toss in a few jokes every now and then, and Kikyo would actually laugh, she even threw in a couple of her own. Once the day was over, Kagome was sad to see it go. They shared their usual goodbye and Kagome left Sanko Shrine feeling surprisingly light. She could feel a bond forming between her and Kikyo, and it _excited_ her! Feeling giddy, Kagome pulled out her phone and called Sango, who was on her speed dial.

It took a couple rings before Sango picked up, and the miko was so excited that she spoke as soon as she heard the phone pick up. "You will _not_ believe what just happened!"

 **..::YatM::..**

Kagome had been on the phone with Sango until she reached the station. She hadn't been able to get everything out there, but she had mentioned the gist of everything and suggested they get together one day to discuss further, and as more developed. The train ride back home gave her some time to think over things. She thought about what Kikyo had told her, and slowly connected the dots. She was able to put together the missing pieces, and it just made her even angrier at the hanyou. She nipped her lower lip as her fists clenched in her lap. Kagome sat there, stewing for several moments before she pulled out her phone and tapped out a quick message to the inu.

 **Hey, let me know if you're free Monday. We need to have a talk.**

She let out a soft sigh and locked her phone, putting it back into her purse as she got ready to get off the train. Once it came to a stop, she got up and left. As she left the station, she pulled out her phone to see if Inuyasha had texted her, and he had. She sucked in a breath, bracing herself, and unlocked her phone to read it.

 **We can talk NOW.**

Kagome groaned and quickly replied.

 **No, wait until Monday.**

He started to call her then and Kagome jumped, fumbling with her phone and almost dropping it. She grumbled to herself before answering the call.

" _What?_ " she asked.

"Why can't we just discuss whatever this is _now?_ " he snapped.

"Because, I'm on my way home and I'm _tired_. I think you can wait, Inuyasha." She could hear him grumble, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she waited for him to say something coherent. When he didn't, she let out a frustrated groan. "Look, I'll talk to you later, alright. _**Monday**_. No sooner than that." And with that, she hung up the phone.

Kagome grumbled and moved to put her phone back in her purse, but it started ringing again. She glared at Inuyasha's name and ignored the call, then muted her phone before putting it away. She didn't have the energy to deal with this right now. Running a hand through her hair, she made her way home, grumbling to herself. She would have to pick out a time and place to have this talk with Inuyasha. It needed to be a calm, neutral environment, as it wouldn't be calm for very long. Somewhere public, too. She continued to plan it out, and it helped pass the time it took to get to the apartment.

Kouga watched her approach from the outside walkway, a small frown on his face. He could tell that Kagome was deep in thought from the way she was walking, but he wasn't sure what would be bothering her. A part of him was scared to ask, especially as she came up the stairs and all he could smell was a forest fire coming off of her. "Hey Kagome, how'd it go today?" he asked, moving to open the door. His voice seemed to pull her out of her thoughts and she flashed him a tired smile. The raging fire in her scent started to die down as well.

"It was alright. Kikyo and I talked about some things today… I um… I'll tell you about them later. I just.. wanna get this sorted first." she said.

His eyebrows furrowed at that, but he let it go. "Alright.. Well, I've got some dinner ready for you."

"Thank you, Kouga." she said, beaming up at him. He returned her smile with a grin of his own and locked the door behind them, following her into the living area.

 **..::YatM::..**

Kagome let out a sigh and locked her phone. It was Monday and she was anxiously waiting for Inuyasha inside the café. Over the last two days, she and Kikyo had discussed their relationship with Inuyasha in greater detail with each other as she trained. Kagome had been absolutely _seething_ , and a part of her still was, it was just being hidden by her anxiety for now. She knew a fight was going to come, she could feel it deep down in her soul. She wasn't sure how much of it she could handle though, or how bad it would get. She grumbled a bit to herself and took a sip of her coffee and tapped her fingers against the tabletop.

Thankfully, she didn't have to wait much longer, as she heard the bell above the door chime and, looking up, there was Inuyasha. She moved her hand to wave the hanyou over, but he was already walking towards her before she had the chance to. He looked angry and Kagome immediately put up her walls. Oh yes, this conversation was going to be _bad._ The inu sat down across from her with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest. They sat in silence for a few moments before Kagome took in a deep breath.

"Well.. would you like to order any-"

"No. Let's _talk_." he spat, venom dripping from his voice. Kagome resisted the urge to wince at his tone.

"Alright.. fine." she replied, calmly. Her demeanor seemed to piss Inuyasha off even more. She tried her best to ignore it. "A while ago I started training to improve my skills with my reiki. Take a guess as to who my mentor is."

"How the fuck would _I_ know?" he snarled, rolling his eyes.

"It's Kikyo." Inuyasha immediately stiffened and all traces of anger left him.

"K-Kikyo?" he asked in disbelief, his voice a whisper.

"Yup." she answered. She folded her hands on the table then, leaning back against her seat. "I wasn't too sure about it at first, but she's the closest miko and she was willing to take me on, so I figured, why not?" She shrugged her shoulders ever so slightly at that. "She seemed to be exactly how I imagined her: cold, stuck up, emotionless… but recently we actually started talking and getting to know each other and, wouldn't you know it, it seems like I was wrong about her." she said.

Now more than ever, Inuyasha wished he could just disappear. He could smell the flames starting to consume Kagome's scent, but her expression was neutral, aside from her eyes. Her eyes were cold, colder than he had ever seen them. "W-Whatever she told you is a lie, Kagome!" he snapped.

The miko simply raised an eyebrow at this. "Really? _That's_ where you're going to go with this?" she asked. Kagome _wished_ she could be surprised. "And honestly, how do you expect me to believe you after you _lied_ to me?" she added, anger lacing into her voice and expression now. It made a chill run down Inuyasha's spine. It didn't help that her reiki was now spiking and pushing against his youki.

"Kagome I-"

"She told me everything. How you lied to her just like you lied to me. You told her you hadn't seen anyone after you broke up. You told her she was the only one that mattered to you, just like you told me." Tears began to spring in her eyes as years of pent-up pain came out. Reiki crackled at her fingertips and sparked against his youki. Inuyasha paled, unable to say or do anything. "You put us both through so much, and for what? You just _left!_ You didn't even stay with her? After all you put me through?! You just left Kikyo behind after everything you did!"

Inuyasha flinched, his ears pressing flat against his head as he averted his eyes from her harsh glare. "You did everything you could to get back with her. You lied to me, you lied to _her_ , and for _what?!_ You abandon the both of us. You run away like a coward. Why? You have no one to blame but yourself for all of this." she snapped. Inuyasha's nose was burning from the intensity of her scent. All he could smell was a burning forest, even any traces of wolf that had been lingering on her were engulfed by her rage. He felt like he was suffocating.

"Kagome, it's not like that.." he tried.

"Oh really? Then what is it, then?"

Inuyasha fumbled for a few moments, trying to find the words, willing to do _anything_ to salvage this. "I don't know what I was thinking. I thought I loved Kikyo.. I thought she was the one for me but.. I just felt so guilty and every time I looked at you it hurt. I was confused I…." He ran his claws through his hair and Kagome eyed him skeptically. He appeared to be genuine, but Kagome knew she couldn't trust that.

Once he found his words, he began to defend himself once more. "Being away from everything helped me clear my mind. It really sorted things out for me. I know that what I did was wrong, and there's nothing I can do to fix the pain I caused but I realized something.." He looked up at Kagome then, searching for something in her expression. She gave nothing away, simply quirking an eyebrow at him. He took in a deep breath. "I realized that.. I…" His cheeks burned pink. "I love you, Kagome!"

Her heart twisted in pain as several emotions slammed into her at once. As her scent became muddied, Inuyasha continued. "I never should've tried to get back with Kikyo. It was a mistake, one I'll regret forever. But I know now that I only want _you_ , Kagome. I love you."

Kagome looked him over, searching his expression. She just… she couldn't tell. Was he being genuine? Was he just trying to trick her again? She clenched her fists, her reiki crackling once more as anger consumed her. There was only one thing she knew for sure.. she wasn't going to take this anymore. Inuyasha flinched as the miko in front of him became enraged. Kagome stood up abruptly then and his ears flattened against his head as she glared down at him.

"Maybe you should've thought about that sooner." she growled, voice low and full of venom. Then, she was storming out of the café and making her way back home.

Inuyasha sat there, dumbstruck. He couldn't have been more confused. Isn't this what she wanted? Didn't she _want_ him to choose her and only her? Wasn't that what she had _screamed_ at him before she broke up with him? Where had he gone wrong? The hanyou sat there for several more moments before finally getting up and leaving the café, shuffling his way home as he tried to figure out where he went wrong.

 **..::YatM::..**

Kagome arrived at the apartment, completely drained. Her anger had subsided for now, and all that remained were the muddied emotions she felt from his confession. Could she even call it that? _Should_ she? She had no idea if he was lying to her or not, and she really didn't want to find out, if she were being honest. This certainly wasn't what she had expected, and it most _definitely_ wasn't what she needed. Though, all in all, she couldn't really say she was surprised. If Inuyasha was telling the truth, it'd be just like him to blurt it out when he felt like he was losing her, and this was _especially_ true if he was lying. Despite his intentions, whatever they may be, she felt manipulated and used.

She unlocked the door to the apartment with a huff and stepped inside, closing the door behind her and locking it once more. She took her time taking off her shoes, her mind racing with a million thoughts. She felt like she needed a nap. Out of habit, she announced that she was home, even though she knew the apartment would be empty for a short while; Kouga had taken Shippou out to the park shortly after she left.

Letting out another sigh, Kagome walked into the living area and plopped down on the couch. She let out a small whine as she curled up into herself, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs. She was exhausted, and she didn't want to deal with this, not at all. But, it seemed like she would have to. She groaned once more and shifted on the couch, falling onto her side. She laid there silently for several moments before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone. She clicked the button on the side and frowned at what lit up on her screen. She had several texts and a missed called from Inuyasha and she was grateful she had muted her phone. Just as she was about to put it away, however, a new notification popped up. A text from Kouga. She tapped on the notification and then unlocked her phone, the device taking her directly to his message.

 **We're on our way home. Everything alright?**

She considered her response for a few moments. She could _try_ to lie, but she had a feeling that he would see right through her, just as he always did. He knew something was up with her anyway, so what was the point in trying to hide it from him? She frowned slightly and tapped out a reply. Read it a couple times. Delete. Rewrite. Delete. Rewrite. Pause… Send.

 **Okay, and…** ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ **I'll explain when you get here I guess.**

It was really the best she could come up with, and she hoped her response didn't worry him at all. She stared at the conversation for a few more moments before tapping out of her messages with a sigh. She then took her phone off of silent before locking it and letting it slip out of her hand, the device landing next to her face. Her mind continued to swirl with thoughts and she wished that they could just… _stop._ She was sick of all this drama. She just wanted to rest, just once, just for _one day._ Was that too much to ask? She scoffed as she rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. Apparently it _was._

She continued to lay there on the couch for a couple moments, just taking some time to herself, dissociating mostly. She eventually snapped back into herself and sat up. Running a hand through her hair, she let out a small huff and swung her legs over the side of the couch before getting up and making her way to the kitchen. She should get started on some food for them. She picked up her phone and slipped it into her pocket before making her way into the kitchen. She walked to the fridge and opened it, looking to see what they had. She chewed on her cheek as she considered her options, and eventually pulled out some chicken thighs.

Kagome got to work then, getting the prep work started for their meal. Cooking was surprisingly soothing to her; it allowed her mind to drift off and she forgot about her worries, for the most part at least. She was most of the way through her prep when the sound of the door unlocking snapped her out of her rhythm. The door opened, and she heard Shippou announce their arrival and she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. "Welcome home!" she responded. She made her way to the fridge, putting the bowl of chicken thighs in the fridge to marinate. It was a couple seconds before she heard Shippou barreling through the room, running up to her and jumping onto the counter beside her. The kit then started to rapid fire his adventures of the day. It overwhelmed Kagome at first, but she soon relaxed and listened intently to the kit's stories. As he talked, she began to wash their rice.

Kouga soon entered the room and watched the two of them with a warm smile on his face. He stood there for a few seconds before walking into the kitchen. Shippou was finishing up his tale, and once he was done, Kouga ruffled his hair. "Hey, how about you go watch TV?" he offered. Shippou nodded enthusiastically and took off. Kouga laughed a bit, always amazed at how eager Shippou was. Once the TV was turned on and the kitsune was entranced by it, Kouga turned his attention to Kagome. The miko had a rhythm going, washing the rice almost absentmindedly. He hated to interrupt her, but he needed to know how she was doing. "So, what happened?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

She took in a deep breath before slowly releasing it. "Well, while training with Kikyo this weekend we actually got to talking. I heard her side of everything and, _surprise_ , Inuyasha lied to her too." Kouga honestly couldn't say he was surprised. He didn't have very many interactions with the inu, but he's heard nothing but bad things. There was also the fact that his only two interactions with the hanyou were less than pleasant. "He told her that he hadn't seen anyone else after they broke up and all this bullshit. They never even officially got back together. That's what's really killing me with all of this. He put the both of us through so much, and he doesn't even _stay_ with her? He goes off to " _find himself_ " or some bullshit like that and I…" She sucked in a deep breath, trying her best to not let her anger consume her again. She took a couple seconds to calm herself before draining the water from the rice, filling the bowl again, and washing it some more.

"I saw him today, to confront him on it. He tried to tell me that Kikyo was lying, told me he made a mistake in leaving me. Then he told me he loved me and I…" Her movements stilled as tears brimmed in her eyes. Kouga stopped a snarl from ripping out of his chest, clenching his fists at his side instead. "I just feel so.. _manipulated._ I told him off and then left and he's been blowing up my phone since. I'm just… I'm so _tired,_ Kouga. I don't want to deal with this." Kagome began trembling then, tears slipping free and running down her cheeks. She had done her best to keep it in, but she just couldn't anymore.

She set the bowl of rice down as she barely caught a sob, choking it down as her shaking worsened. Kouga frowned and pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her protectively. Kagome turned into him more and wrapped her arms around him, doing her best to keep her hands off of his shirt so she wouldn't get it wet. He brought a hand up to her hair, smoothing it down and occasionally running his claws through it. It brought her some sort of comfort, but she just felt too torn up. There was so much going on and she just couldn't handle it anymore.

After a few moments and seeing that the miko was just steadily getting worse, he frowned. "How about you go lay down for a bit? I'll take care of the food. What were you making?" he asked.

She sniffled, and it took her a few moments before she was able to answer. "Karaage."

He nodded and continued to soothe her for a few more moments until she began to pull away. He gave her a reassuring smile, cupping her cheek with his hand for a couple seconds. She tried to give him a smile as well, but it just wasn't working out, so she settled for leaning into his touch for a moment before fully pulling away.

"I'll get you when it's done."

She nodded and then left the kitchen, shuffling into her room. She closed the door behind herself and made a beeline for her bed, collapsing onto the mattress and wrapping herself up in the blankets. Hopefully a nap would help soothe her, at the very least for now.


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Howl

_You are the moon that breaks the night for which I have to howl_

Eyyyyy, the chapter is named after the song that inspired this fic ;D

Also heyyyy...it's be a hot minute. Sorry bout that. School and work and such, haha.

* * *

It had been a couple of days since the encounter with Inuyasha. Kagome was currently sitting on the couch with Sango, who had come over to visit so they could discuss everything. Sango was, obviously, extremely pissed off at the hanyou. In between her bouts of rage, she would turn to the miko, flashing her a sympathetic look and asking if she was okay, to which Kagome would reply with a simple shrug. Kagome was feeling a bit.. _emotionless_ on the matter. She knew this wouldn't last long, but she was determined to ride it out; she really didn't want to have another breakdown. Sure, it would probably help _substantially_ to just get all of her emotions out as they came, but Kagome was a bottler. She just preferred to contain all of her bad feelings until they overflowed. It was terrible for her, and she knew this, but it was a difficult habit to break. She was _trying_ to, but she knew better than to make any promises on the matter to both herself and others.

After a few moments, Sango calmed herself and looked towards the miko. "Sorry about.. all of that. I'm just… well, you know." Kagome let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, I understand."

The two sat in silence for a few moments before Sango turned towards Kagome again. "So anyway, tell me about tomorrow night." she said, beaming.

Kagome was grateful for the subject change. "Oh yeah, the full moon party thing. Well, I haven't really been informed too much on it other than the fact that there's going to be a huge bonfire and they're all going to shift." Kagome replied with a bit of a shrug. "Kouga said it's just a bit hard to explain and it's better to experience it anyway."

Sango nodded thoughtfully at that. "And Shippou really doesn't wanna go?" she asked.

Kagome shook her head. "No.. I think he's just scared of how large they all are. Maybe one day he'll wanna go, but we're not going to push him, of course. And thank you again for taking him."

"It's no problem at all! I love him to pieces." Sango said with a huge grin.

"I know, he's just the sweetest."

"He starts school next week, right?"

Kagome nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah he does. He's really excited, but also a bit scared. I don't really blame him. He's going to be meeting a lot of new kids. But he said he was ready to go back, so.."

Sango nodded at that, smiling. "If you ever need me or Miroku to pick him up, you just let us know, okay?" she asked.

"Yeah of course!"

The two then began to ramble about Shippou, mostly gushing about whatever cute thing he had done recently. It really helped to lift the mood in the room and Kagome felt light. It was nice. After a short while, they heard a knock on the door and Kagome got up to answer it. When she opened the door, it revealed the kit they had just been gushing over. "Welcome home Shippou! How'd it go?" she asked, taking the bag of groceries from him.

"Good! I got everything you asked for, Kagome!" The miko closed the door behind him and looked into the bag as she did so.

"Yes you did, I'm so proud of you!" she beamed, crouching down to ruffle his hair. He laughed and fixed it before plopping down to take off his shoes.

"There were a lot of people at the store today. It was sooo busy!" he said, stretching his arms out to help make his point. Kagome giggled and urged him to continue. "I had to ask for help to get some of the things off the shelves down, but I did really well on my own! Everyone is so nice and helpful." he beamed.

Kagome giggled and picked him up once his shoes were off. She carried the kit into the living area, and when he saw Sango, he gasped and wriggled out of Kagome's grasp to go over to her. He then began to tell Sango everything as well, raising his voice a bit so Kagome could hear as she entered the kitchen. Kagome giggled as she put the groceries away. Shippou certainly had a way of brightening up her day. The two listened to the kitsune as he enthusiastically talked about his second outing on his own. He hadn't been as nervous this time around, and he made sure to let them know that, multiple times.

The miko soon started working on making lunch for them. She was just pulling out some leftovers, nothing too special. Once she got what the other two wanted, she started the reheating process, popping the meals into the microwave. She heated up Shippou's first, knowing that the kit would likely be hungry, and she knew he could get a bit impatient at times. Once the food was heated all the way through, she called the kit into the kitchen to grab it as she started heating up some food for her and Sango to share.

Shippou barreled into the room, snatched the plate, and ran back out. She heard him set the food down on the table and had to hold back a laugh. He was so excitable and he always warmed her heart. He tried to talk while he was eating, but Sango gave him a lighthearted scolding.

"You know you shouldn't speak with your mouth full, Shippou. It's hard to understand you." she said. After that, he made sure to finish whatever he had in his mouth before continuing. The two women laughed and rolled their eyes. They knew very well that they couldn't stop him, but they could at least slow him down. Soon, the food for Sango and Kagome to share was finished heating. Kagome pulled it out of the microwave and grabbed two pairs of chopsticks, then entered the room.

She plopped down next to Sango on the couch and handed her a pair of chopsticks. They then ate their food, nodding along as Shippou shifted the conversation from his second errand to a cartoon he liked. They continued to listen intently as he explained the most recent episode. Kagome, of course, had seen it, but she still encouraged the kit to talk about it. It wasn't too long before they had finished their food and Kagome was in the kitchen taking care of their dishes. Sango had turned on the TV for Shippou and promptly followed the miko into the kitchen.

The slayer grabbed a towel and started to dry off the dishes after Kagome washed them. It was silent for a few moments before Sango decided to pipe up. "So.. have you thought any more about what we talked about last time?" she asked, giving Kagome a knowing smirk.

Kagome's cheeks burned and she flashed Sango a pout. "That's _all_ I've been able to think about, thanks to you." she snapped, playfully jabbing Sango in the ribs with her elbow.

Sango did her best to keep her laughter contained, but the miko made it difficult. "Well?" she asked once she was calmed down, for the most part.

Kagome let out a sigh, rolling her eyes and making sure the slayer saw the action. Sango simply giggled. "Well… I dunno, Sango. It's…." Kagome made a hand gesture then and Sango nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, I know. A lot's been going on lately… But hey! Maybe this full moon party thing will help bring some clarity on the matter." she said, hoping she was reassuring Kagome.

The miko nodded, mulling it over a bit as she rinsed off the last dish. Maybe tomorrow night _would_ bring her some clarity… or it could very well leave her even more confused. She wasn't really sure at this point, and honestly, she didn't want to think about it.. not now at least.

Once Sango dried off the dish, the two reentered the living area. Kagome asked if Shippou would be alright sitting in here by himself, and he simply nodded, too entranced by the TV. Kagome giggled and waved Sango to follow her to her room. They made their way down the short hallway and entered the miko's room. It was immaculate; everything was put away in its proper place and everything was neat and tidy, with the exception of a couple of Shippou's toys. Sango narrowed her eyes ever so slightly as she looked around the room. It was _too_ clean and well kept. However, she wouldn't say anything this time around, she knew her friend was stressed over a multitude of things, which was why the room was so clean.

They plopped down onto the bed and got all settled and comfortable before they carried on with their conversation. "So what else has been up?" she asked.

Kagome leaned back on her hands as she let out a sigh. "I've been trying to get Shippou's adoption underway. He's really excited for it, but the courts are taking forever. It's kind of frustrating." she said with a frown. "I had to fill out two different forms, one for the human courts and one for the youkai courts, since he's a youkai. You wouldn't _believe_ how long the youkai paperwork was. I needed Kouga's help for most of it."

"Is there any way he can try to push things along?" Sango asked.

Kagome shook her head. "He said it's not really part of his job, this falls to other levels of youkai." she answered with a shrug. "But anyway, I could complain about this for hours and just basically be repeating the same thing. How's the wedding planning going?" she asked.

"It's going." Sango said with a laugh. "We can't really decide on a location, but I mean, we've got plenty of time to figure that out. Sure, I kind of want to be done with it so we can relax before the wedding.. or just elope at this point, but.." she shrugged and Kagome let out a small laugh.

"Well, if you elope you better invite me. I've waited too long to see you two get married." the miko said, shooting Sango a wink.

"As long as you invite me to yours and Kouga's." she fired back, nudging Kagome.

Kagome's cheeks were set aflame and she gave the slayer a playful push. "Oh, hush you. I don't even know if I like him. Jeeze…"

Sango laughed loudly at that. "Oh please, it's written all over your face." she said.

Kagome rolled her eyes and willed her heart to slow and her cheeks to cool. " _ **Anyway**_ , what else have you been up to?"

"Not a whole lot, just the usual. Work, work, work." Sango replied with a dry laugh.

Kagome frowned at this. "They haven't been giving you any breaks?"

"I get a break when people stop committing crimes. Which is _never_." They both gave a weak laugh at that.

"I'm sorry.."

"Eh, it's alright. It's what I wanted to do, after all." Sango said with a slight shrug.

"Guess I can't argue with that. I mean, I've got another year of school left, then _I'll_ be working non-stop." Kagome laughed. She was excited to finish up this last year of school and start interning, but at the same time she wasn't. She was going to be busy 24/7 once that happened, and the miko wasn't so sure she was ready for that yet. Not like she had any choice.. she was going to _have_ to be ready.

Sango gave her a sympathetic look and brought a hand up to pat her on the back. "I'm sure it'll be alright. You're strong, and I'm sure they won't work the interns too hard. I mean, they don't wanna lose you before you even officially start." she said, a bit of laughter coming out near the end.

Kagome grinned and nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right." she replied.

With that, the two continued to talk about random things, mostly catching up and Sango telling some tales from work. At one point, Shippou came back to join them as his show was over, and he was feeling a bit lonely. The two women made sure to cuddle him and press a multitude of kisses to the top of his head after that. Time passed quickly, then. Kagome and Sango were talking up a storm, and eventually the kit settled down for a nap. So, they continued their conversation in hushed tones to allow him to sleep. They hadn't realized how late it had gotten until a soft knock came on Kagome's door.

"You guys alright in there?" Kouga's voice carried through the door.

Kagome got up to go answer the door and Sango sent her a knowing look. The miko stuck her tongue out at her friend before turning back to the door and opening it. Kouga greeted her with a smile, which she returned. "Everything's alright, Shippou is asleep though, so we're just trying to keep quiet." she explained.

Kouga nodded at that. "Have you guys eaten?"

"Yeah, we did earlier. What time is it?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"It's around 7:30." he answered.

" _Oh_.. um.." Kagome turned to look at Sango, who also seemed to be shocked at how late it was. "Should you get going home soon?" she asked.

"Yeah, probably." She got up off the bed then, turning to make sure she didn't disturb Shippou, before walking towards the door.

"I'll walk you out." Kagome said, smiling.

Kouga moved out of their way then and Sango flashed him a grin as she walked past. Kagome was quick to follow, closing her door softly behind her and leading her friend to the front door. They said their goodbyes, sharing a hug as well.

"Let me know how everything goes, okay?" Sango asked.

"Of course. Be safe getting home."

"I will, promise." Sango took a moment to lean in close and whisper in Kagome's ear. "Tell me if anything happens. Promise?"

Kagome's cheeks started to burn, and she gave the slayer a playful shove. Sango giggled, giving Kagome a wink and then turned towards the door. The miko rolled her eyes and followed her to the door. She watched as Sango left the apartment complex and continued to watch her until she couldn't see the slayer anymore. She closed the door, then, locking it tight and doubly making sure she locked it before leaving the entrance area.

As she entered the living area, she could see Kouga looking through the fridge. He heard her approach, and he closed the door as he turned to face her. "So, I'm assuming you haven't eaten dinner?" he asked.

"You would assume correctly." she replied.

He chuckled a bit at that and crossed his arms over his chest. "What kept you guys so busy you didn't notice the time?"

"Talking mostly." she answered with a shrug.

"What about, if you don't mind me asking."

"Oh you know, this and that."

He raised an eyebrow at that as a grin spread across his face. "And what does that mean?"

"Well, we talked about Inuyasha for a bit and how terrible he is." Kouga nodded at that and Kagome had to hold back a laugh at how quick his reaction was. "And then we talked about Shippou, of course. Then we talked about work and school." she answered with a shrug. "Oh! And about the full moon….. thing. Couldn't really talk about it but so much because I haven't really been told anything about it." she added.

Kouga laughed. "I've told you, you just have to _experience_ it."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

The wolf continued to chuckle as he moved a bit closer to her. "So what did you wanna do for dinner?" he asked.

"Well.. I was gonna cook but seeing how late it is.." She frowned slightly. Of course she could always make what she had planned another day, but still.

"How about we get some take-out?" he suggested.

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, sounds good." she said, beaming up at him.

"Any preferences?" Kagome shook her head. "Alright. Well, I'll go pick something up. I'll let you know when I'm on my way back so you can wake up Shippou."

The miko nodded again and followed him to the entrance. She waved goodbye as he left, then closed the door behind him and locked it. The smile he had flashed her lingered in her mind and made her cheeks flare. She let out a soft sigh and walked away from the door. _I need a nice, relaxing bath…._

 **..::YatM::..**

Kagome had spent the better part of that morning trying to pick out an outfit. When Sango came to pick up Shippou, she was still deciding. The slayer helped her best friend decide on a final outfit and left as Kagome was changing. She was dressed in dark blue high waisted shorts, a black crop top with spaghetti straps, and a red flannel. It was outside of her normal pastel aesthetic, but Sango said it would work best for the night. Kouga had told her that it would be chilly, so of course an oversized flannel would work best. Kagome had to admit, she was partially grateful for her very short grunge phase near the start of her relationship with Inuyasha. She had pulled her hair up into a ponytail as well; it was going to be warm during the day, and she didn't want to sweat to death.

She was excited to go out into the country again and see the pack. She was also excited to fully enjoy the ride there as well, now that she didn't have a small kit to worry over. She was currently on the train with Kouga doing as such. There was a huge grin on her face as she looked longingly out the window. Kouga was content to watch her, enjoying how happy she was. He knew the past couple of weeks had been tough for her, especially last week. It was nice to see her smiling so brightly once again. He did his best to not look like a lovesick pup, though he knew he more than likely wasn't able to pull it off.

Before too long, they were off the train and making their way to the compound. It was a silent walk, but it was comfortable. Kagome continued to look around as they walked, never tired of the sights of the country. Every time she came out here she couldn't help but start planning where her future clinic might be. For the longest time, as long as she could remember, she always imagined it being in a small town, possibly a farming town. She would do whatever she could to help the people that lived there, it was always her dream. However, lately, she's been picturing her clinic closer to the forest. A specific forest, in fact. The thought brought a blush to her cheeks, which she did her best to hide.

Kouga would glance at her every now and then, a warm smile on his face. His hand itched to reach out and grab hers, but he resisted the urge. His wolf was restless, both from the coming full moon and from the fact that he had his potential mate so close but couldn't touch her. Of course, the beast was purely instinctual and everything Kouga was doing with Kagome so far went against his instincts. The beast was always upset with him for a multitude of things. The one that the beast was most upset about was how Kouga hasn't scent marked her yet, especially with all the danger around, and now Inuyasha. But Kouga did his best to ignore his instincts, on this matter at least. He wasn't about to pressure Kagome into anything, no matter how loudly his instincts screamed at him.

They were soon approaching the forest and Kouga grinned. He glanced over at Kagome once more and she seemed to be giddy as well. "Don't forget about the howling." he said.

Kagome laughed a bit. "I won't. Thanks for the warning though."

"Yeah, of course."

From there, they carried on conversation. It was mostly about small things, with a mix of Kagome complaining about the long process of adopting Shippou and how she wished it was just over already. He did his best to soothe and reassure her. It wasn't long before they entered the forest and soon Kouga could hear the subtle signs of one of his pack members approaching.

"Someone's coming." he warned.

And just as he gave her the warning, a howl resounded through the air. It was quickly followed by several more howls. It was the same as the first time she came, except she wasn't scared this time. She was now able to appreciate the atmosphere the howls left. She looked around in wonder and amazement as the howls echoed throughout the forest. They soon heard rustling in the bushes, and out hopped a massive wolf. Kagome jumped slightly and let out a small squeak, not expecting this massive wolf to just pop out of nowhere.

Kouga rolled his eyes and shot the wolf a glare. "Hakkaku, what did I tell you?" he asked, his voice having a slight growl to it.

Hakkaku stiffened for a moment, then his ears pressed flat against his head, his tail tucked, and he lowered himself closer to the ground. Kouga gave a curt nod after a couple seconds and Hakkaku finally relaxed and straightened himself out. He stood there for a couple moments before cautiously approaching Kagome. She smiled at him, and she was amazed at how white his fur was, and as he drew closer, she saw how blue his eyes were. What was with the top members of this pack having blue eyes?

She brushed these thoughts back for now, deciding it was best to mull this over on a sleepless night. For now, she grinned up at Kouga's second beta.

"It's nice to see you again, Hakkaku."

His tail wagged furiously, and his tongue lolled out as he gave her a grin of sorts. He then turned his attention back to Kouga and let out a soft bark, more of a yip to be honest. Kouga waved him off and then the wolf took off. He ran up ahead of them before stopping just before he was out of their sight. He then turned his head to look back at them and sat down.

"He's going to be walking with us to the compound. Sort of." Kouga explained.

Kagome nodded. She wanted to ask why, but she had a feeling she knew the answer. They probably wanted to be cautious; even though it had been a while since the incident with the umbrella, it was better to be safe rather than sorry. Kouga could smell her scent changing and he frowned slightly. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a small squeeze.

"It's okay, Kagome. Everything will be fine tonight, I promise." he whispered.

Kagome nodded slowly, then looked up at him with a soft smile. And with that, they carried on their way to the compound. The walk was filled with the sounds of howls and bushes rustling. She giggled at Hakkaku when he stopped abruptly in the middle of leading them to the compound to howl. All of them just seemed to stop in the middle of doing something to howl back. She wondered why Kouga never did it… She shifted her eyes over to him and watched him for a couple moments. He could feel her eyes on him and he chuckled a bit before looking down at her.

"What?" he asked.

"Why don't _you_ howl?" she asked.

He was silent for a few moments as he palmed the back of his neck. "Well I mean, it's not that I don't _want_ to… I guess I just.. didn't want to startle you. That and it's not as fun to howl in this form." Kagome quirked an eyebrow at that and he had to laugh. "It just feels kind of off. That and it's never as loud as it needs to be."

"Well why don't you do it anyway?"

His grin widened at that. "You really want me to?"

"Yeah. What kind of wolf are you if you don't howl?" she asked teasingly.

Oh, well he couldn't have that, could he? His beast bristled, pushing Kouga to woo his woman. "Well, you asked for it." Kagome beamed as she watched him take in a deep breath. She could feel his youki spike and spark against her reiki. Just as a wolf off in the distance let out a howl, Kouga soon released his own. Even Kagome could feel the power radiating off of him, it certainly helped that his youki pulsed out along with his howl. She could see Hakkaku perk up ahead of them, all of his movements stilling. Once his howl was finished and stopped echoing through the forest, there was a small pause before a chorus of howls answered him, Hakkaku's included.

Kagome stood there, amazed and wide-eyed. It seemed as if every member of his pack was answering him, and she had a feeling she was correct about that. After a few moments, the air stilled as the howling ceased. Hakkaku stared at them for a couple seconds before getting up and leading the way once again. Kagome and Kouga stayed where they were, however. The wolf beamed down at her as she stood there, dumbfounded.

"Well?" he asked, hoping to pull her out of her thoughts. It seemed to work as she blinked and looked up at him. It took her a couple seconds before she returned his grin.

"I think you should howl more often. That was incredible." she answered.

He chuckled and brought a hand up to brush a few stray hairs behind her ear. It was impulsive, and he hadn't even realized he had done it until his fingertips grazed the shell of her ear. He heard her breath hitch, and it made his chest swell and soothed his beast. "Well, you'll definitely be hearing more of it tonight." he replied.

Her cheeks stained pink and he could smell strawberries mixing into her scent, along with a slight undertone of _something_ else, something he couldn't quite place or get a good enough smell of. He'd have to let it go for now, though.

Kagome simply nodded and smiled up at him in reply, not really trusting her voice. There was a whirlwind of emotions stirring up in her, but this wasn't the time or place to mull them over. With that, they carried on their way to the compound, eager to get the night started. Thankfully, it didn't take them much longer to reach their destination. Kagome looked around in awe as there were more wolves than humanoids walking around. Several wolves were carrying logs towards the back of the compound, and she was almost certain one of them had a small tree in their mouth.

A brown wolf came sauntering up to them, tail wagging furiously. Before Kagome could get a good look at the beast and try to figure out if she recognized them or not, the wolf shifted before her eyes and revealed themselves to be none other than Kamelia. She beamed as she and the miko made eye contact, her pace never breaking even in the midst of shifting, and as soon as she was close enough, she pulled the miko into an embrace.

"Oh Kagome! It's been so long! I know it's not even really been a full two weeks, but that's too long!" she said.

Kagome laughed as she hugged the wolf back. "I apologize, I've been busy with things." she replied, pulling away from Kamelia.

"Excuses, excuses." Kamelia said with a hearty laugh. "Honestly though, you should try to come around more often! Maybe you should live here!" she suggested, a smug smile on her face. Kagome wasn't really sure what the smugness was for, but Kouga sure did. He shot Kamelia a glare, which she just ignored in favor of paying attention to the miko in front of her.

"Well, I don't know about that…"

"Oh come on! It'd be a lot of fun, not to mention you'd be safe here."

"Yeah I mean…" Kagome licked her lips and wrung her wrists. "It's just such a big commute to school, and Shippou is getting ready to start at his new school… and I don't wanna impose-"

"You wouldn't be imposing, I promise! Look just-"

"Kamelia. Leave it alone." Kouga snapped.

Kamelia stiffened slightly and a hint of fear flashed in her eyes for just a second before it was gone. It was surprising for Kagome to see Kamelia stiffen up like that, though she supposed it made sense. Kamelia nodded and gave Kouga a salute before taking off to do things around the compound. Once she was gone, Kouga let out a sigh and shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. Kagome looked up at him curiously.

"Sorry about her, she can be pretty pushy."

Kagome giggled at that. "Yeah I know. She kind of reminds me of Sango."

"Yeah, they definitely have the same spirit." he said with a chuckle.

With that, they carried on into one of the buildings. There were quite a few youkai gathered around the cooking pit working on side dishes. They all turned their heads and greeted the two as they entered. There wasn't any conversation or teasing, as they were all busy getting everything prepared. Kouga motioned for Kagome to follow him and they walked through the room and made their way back outside, heading towards the "backyard". Once out there, she saw they had quite a large spit going with both a boar and a deer roasting.

"Oh wow, how much do you guys plan on eating?" she asked with a laugh.

"We tend to eat all this and more. This will just be an appetizer." Kouga replied.

"It amazes me how much you all can pack away."

Kouga just shrugged in response and then set about asking about the progress of everything. Kagome smiled and took a seat on the walkway. She watched as everyone ran around, getting things set up. She had tried to see if she could help, but everyone she asked just told her to stay put. If she were being honest, she felt a bit useless just sitting there. However, there were times where Kouga would look up from whatever he was doing and would smile at her for a couple moments. It made her heart beat a little faster each time it happened, and she had this feeling that just by being here she was helping out somehow. She wasn't sure how, but she really felt like she was.

When Kouga looked away from her to focus back on his current task, Kagome brought her hands up to her cheeks and willed them to cool. She wasn't sure if she was blushing or if it was the heat, but either way she needed her cheeks to cool down. She let out a small sigh and stood up from her spot on the walkway. She made her way into one of the buildings; she needed something to drink, maybe that would help. She went to open the door and it was slid open before she could reach it, revealing Hakkaku.

"Oh, hey Kagome! Everything alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I was just going to get something to drink."

"Oh, okay! I'll come with you." he replied with a grin.

She returned his smile and they both went into the building and made their way to the kitchen. There were some other wolves in there as well, also preparing side dishes and a couple getting drinks ready. It was mostly alcohol; alcohol Kagome knew she probably shouldn't drink because it was made to intoxicate youkai. Though, she had a feeling that someone would try to give her some anyway, most likely Kamelia. She brushed off these thoughts for now as she followed Hakkaku to the fridge. She watched as he rifled around for a few moments before producing a water bottle.

"Thank you. I was kinda scared you were going to give me alcohol, not gonna lie." she said with a laugh.

"Nah, we won't offer you alcohol just yet." he replied with a wink.

"Hopefully not at all. I don't think I'll be able to handle it."

"We'll see." And with that, Hakkaku left to finish up what he had been doing earlier.

Kagome stood there, dumbstruck for a moment as she processed what the wolf had told her. Well… seems like she was going to die tonight. She nipped on her bottom lip for a moment before unscrewing the cap on her water bottle and taking a swig. She stayed in the building for a couple seconds before she left to sit down outside once again.

 **..::YatM::..**

By the time the sun was starting to set, everything seemed to be ready. All the food was set out on tables and the spit was slowly being turned into a bonfire. All the wood that had been gathered before was being stacked together in a pyramid-like formation and kindling was being shoved underneath and in between the gaps. Kagome was watching the process for the most part; she would space out every now and then until something or other caught her eye and pulled her out of it. She was in the middle of spacing out when Kouga came up to her with a plate of food.

She pulled herself out of her thoughts and smiled at him, taking the plate and thanking him as well. He sat down next to her and once they started to eat what was on their plate, the rest of the pack descended upon the table. Children were fed first of course, but after that it was a free for all. This was her second time witnessing it, and it amazed her as much as it had last time. Once everyone had food and was seated, drinks started to be passed around. A couple wolves tried to offer Kagome some, but she did her best to refuse it. There were a couple times where a wolf just shoved it into her hand and walked away, but Kouga was quick to take the drink from her and down it. She was grateful for that.

After a while, food was finished up and the bonfire was getting ready to be lit. Ginta came up to Kouga with a huge grin on his face and the two made their way to where everything was set up. During that short time with Kouga's back turned, Kamelia came up to Kagome with a red plastic cup and shoved it into Kagome's hand.

"Drink it up, quick!" she whispered. Kagome bit her lower lip as she considered it for a moment, looking down into the cup. There wasn't a lot of liquid in there, it seemed like it was just a shot.

"Oh fuck it…" she mumbled. She brought the cup to her lips and knocked it back in one quick motion. She immediately covered her mouth as she tried to suppress a cough. _Gods_ it was strong. It took her a couple seconds before she moved her hand away, and even then she still coughed a little. "Oh Gods…. I'm gonna get wasted on just that one shot alone." Kamelia laughed heartily at that and patted the miko on the back.

"Welcome to the pack." She gave Kagome a wink and then was gone as quick as she came.

The miko sat there perplexed. She thought Kouga had said she was already part of it? Was there some kind of thing that needed to be done, like drinking whatever alcohol Kamelia had handed to her? She didn't know how these things worked… She'd have to ask Kouga about it later. With that, she looked up to where the pyre was built and quickly found where Kouga was. He was near the pyre with Ginta and Hakkaku flanking him. From what she could tell, it seemed as if he was inspecting it. He did an entire walk around the pyre before stopping at the front once again. He then turned to look at the pack, then he looked up at her and a grin spread across his face. She returned his smile and gave him a small wave.

His grin widened, and he then began to address the pack. "It's been quite a few moons since we've done this. The fast pace of modern life has made it hard for us to carry on certain traditions, but I'm glad we can find the time every now and then. Of course, for any special moons, like tonight's harvest moon, we find the time to do them regardless. Tonight's moon is even more special, as we have Kagome with us." he said, gesturing towards her with a warm smile on his face. The miko sheepishly smiled back, curling in on herself for the short moment the attention was placed on her. It wasn't on her long though, thankfully. Attention was quickly directed back towards Kouga as he started to speak again. "On this moon, we remember our fallen comrades, all of them throughout the centuries."

With that, Ginta handed Kouga a bottle of the alcohol everyone had been drinking. Kouga opened it up and turned towards the pyre, then he poured it out into the ground, making a circle around the pyre. When he reached where he started, he stopped pouring the drink and then, giving a silent toast directed towards the pyre, he chugged the last of what was in the bottle. He then tossed the bottle into the pyre, managing to shove it inside and, she assumed, directly in the middle of it. He then turned towards Hakkaku, who handed him a box of matches. The two betas then stepped away from Kouga as he struck the match against the box and it caught fire. He took a couple steps back before tossing the match into the pyre.

The wood was quick to go up in smoke, and with the alcohol acting as an additive, it lit up even quicker and the flames burst towards the sky. Kagome's mouth fell open in shock as she watched the flames climb high, almost as if they were trying to touch the moon. Shortly after that, Kouga let out a howl, and the rest of the pack quickly followed suit. The miko felt a chill run down her spine and goosebumps rose up on her arms and legs.

Once the howling stopped, she watched as the pack parted, leaving an open space around Kouga. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion until she realized what was going on. The spike in his youki was incredible as he began to shift, and she couldn't help but feel that the large bonfire worked as a perfect backdrop for her first time seeing his shift. The flames added an eerie glow around him as his body changed shape, growing impossibly large in a matter of seconds. Soon, the man that had been standing there was replaced with a giant wolf.

She stared up at him, eyes wide in amazement. She vaguely registered that once Kouga shifted, all the other wolves began to shift as well. She would've watched them all as well, but she just couldn't tear her eyes away from the massive creature before her. He stood well above her, probably about as tall as either of the buildings she sat between, maybe taller. She wasn't sure… but he was easily standing at 8 feet. His fur was dark, she was almost certain it was black. She was kind of disappointed she couldn't really see him too well with the lighting, but what can you do?

After a few moments, Kouga drew a bit closer to her before plopping down onto the ground, lying down on his stomach so he could be at an even level with her. Kagome slid off the walkway then and started to approach him. She could hear his tail thump against the ground a couple times and she had to bite back a laugh. Once she was in front of him, she wasn't really sure what to do with herself. She looked into his eyes; pale, icy blue, but not cold. His eyes held a warmth to them that she couldn't quite place.

As she mulled this over, her hand twitched at her side. A sudden urge came over her and she bit the inside of her cheek as she contemplated this course of action. Slowly, she raised her hand up from her side. She watched Kouga's eyes slide over to look at her hand and his movements stilled. His eyes fixated on her hand as she slowly brought it closer to him. She searched the wolf for any sign of rejection, but he remained perfectly still. So, she took it as a yes and took the plunge. The miko brought her hand to his head and began to pet him.

His fur was silky smooth, and a dopey grin crossed her features. He was so soft and fluffy! She was honestly a bit surprised. She watched his eyes slowly shut and listened as his tail began to beat against the ground once more. She giggled and moved her hand to scratch behind his ear. She'd had the urge to pet Ginta and Hakkaku when she had seen them as wolves, but she had managed to resist those urges. With Kouga though? She just couldn't stop herself; the urge was a lot stronger than it had been with his betas and she wasn't really sure why….

After petting him for a few moments, she stopped, letting her hand slide down towards his muzzle, almost like she was cupping his cheek in a way. His eyes slowly opened, and Kagome felt her heart stop. It was in that moment that everything clicked, and she worked to keep the blush off her face. She had feelings for Kouga…. _Gods_ she was going to hear it from Sango later…


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Feelings

Hey guys, it's been a minute. Sorry for the delay, but hopefully y'all will enjoy! I'm also sorry it's not as long, but the next update will be longer, probably

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Kouga would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous to show Kagome his true form. He was _insanely_ nervous. Sure, she had reacted well to seeing his packmates in their forms, but he was _much_ larger than them. He didn't want to scare her.

However, once he shifted and saw the look in her eyes and could find no fear in her scent, he relaxed. He moved closer to her, and even laid down in front of her so she could get a better look at him. What totally and utterly shocked him, however, was when she started to reach out for him. He had stiffened, unsure how to react to her movements. And then she started to pet him, and he melted under her touch. He knew she had no idea that what she was doing right now was extremely intimate, but his beast was pleased nonetheless. His tail beat harshly against the ground as his head tilted further into her touch.

When she stopped petting him, he couldn't help but feel a tad disappointed. His tail stilled, and he opened his eyes to see if there was a problem. She was simply standing there, staring at him. Something new was curling into her scent, something sweet and sugary. He couldn't figure out what it was, though. Usually there was some kind of context clue and he was able to guess her new scents pretty accurately, but here… there was _nothing_. He let out a small huff and Kagome let out a bit of a giggle as the large puff of breath blew in her face.

She pulled away from him and fixed her bangs. Kouga flashed her a wolfish grin and slowly rose up from the spot he had laid down in. Kagome looked up at him, still a bit starstruck and dazed from these new feelings swelling in her chest. Her hands slowly lowered to her sides as she stared up at Kouga, lost in his eyes and still just utterly _shocked_ at how large he was. He held her gaze for a moment longer before tilting his head back and letting out a deep howl. It was loud, and she felt it settle in her bones. Shortly after he began his howl, the others picked up, and soon the night was filled with the sounds. Their howls rang in her ears, and she felt an urge bubble up in her chest. She wanted to howl with them. The thought made her blush, and she figured that if she didn't have this lump in her throat from her realization, then she may have joined them. Maybe next time. Or maybe she should ask Kouga if she would even be allowed to?

Kagome pushed the thoughts away and just let the moment sink in. She did her best to commit it all to memory: the way the full moon was shining above them, how the fire cast interesting shadows everywhere, the feeling of their howls vibrating throughout her body, and of course, Kouga. Before too long, the howls died down and the pack seemed to grow antsy. They all eyed Kouga, and Kagome was confused, of course. Kouga laid back down in front of her, and then gestured to his back, using his head.

"You want me to climb on?" she asked.

His tongue lolled out as he gave her the best grin he could in this form. Kagome giggled again and moved to his side. She brushed a hand over his fur, still amazed at how soft it was, before grabbing on and pulling herself up. Or well, she _tried_ to at least. She thought she would be able to pull herself up onto his back, but she couldn't really find any purchase anywhere, and she didn't want to hurt him. After her third failed attempt, a wolf came trotting up, one she recognized as Ginta. She watched as he stopped short of her and then dropped to his belly. His ears were laid flat against his head and he scooted closer to her, slowly. She found the behavior odd until she remembered that Kouga was the Alpha, and this was likely submissive behavior.

Ginta soon reached her side and he laid his head down on the ground, looking up at her. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. He huffed, and the breath tickled her legs. He scooched closer and pressed his nose to her shin. It was cold and wet and sent a chill up her spine. "You want me to stand on your nose?" He pressed his nose harder into her leg in answer. Kagome nodded, but hesitated for a moment. "It's not going to hurt you?" Ginta let out a grumbly whine, but stayed perfectly still. She supposed she should trust him then. With a bit of a sigh, she brought her foot up onto his muzzle, nipping her lower lip. Ginta then raised his head, and Kagome let out a squeak as she was lifted up fairly quickly and was pushed onto Kouga's back.

Kouga was trembling beneath her and she pouted. "Don't laugh at me!" The rumbling soon slowed down, but didn't fully go away. Kagome continued to pout as she settled herself on his back, grabbing fistfuls of fur in her hands. She watched as Ginta crawled away, and then got up to run back over to the other wolves. As soon as Ginta was settled within the ranks once more, Kouga rose from his spot on the ground, causing Kagome to let out a shriek, as she hadn't been expecting the sudden movement. She tightened her grip on his fur and she felt another rumble go through him. "It's not funny!" He only continued to chuckle and Kagome rolled her eyes, a blush darkening her cheeks despite her trying to play the annoyed card.

He stayed still, allowing the miko time to adjust and move closer. As of right now, she was in the center of his back, and he knew that wouldn't be comfortable for very long. Thankfully, Kagome seemed to pick up on this rather quickly, as she soon began to move closer to his head. Soon, she was resting right in between his shoulder blades, and once it seemed that she was ready, he let out another howl, much shorter this time, then quickly turned around and took off into the woods.

Kagome was hanging on for dear life, though she couldn't deny the thrill she felt as they zipped through the trees. She was amazed at how quickly, and sharply, he could move with how large he was. Though, she figured he'd had centuries to work on it. Nevertheless, she was impressed. Kagome took a moment to turn her head to look behind them and all she could see was a sea of fur. Ginta and Hakkaku were flanking them, with Kamelia not too far behind, along with the rest of the pack. With the way the moon filtered in through the trees, creating patches of light and hearing the forest whip by her, she felt like she was in a dream. She understood why Kouga said she needed to experience it. There was no way to describe this feeling. A huge grin spread across her face as she turned back around, hunkering down closer to Kouga as they ran through the forest. She wasn't sure if they had a destination in mind, or if this was just a mindless thrill run in the forest. Either way, she felt content and oddly at ease.

They ran for what felt like hours, and Kagome had no doubt that it was, in fact, hours, before they all came down to a trot. Some of the wolves had broken off and hunted down some more food. The rest, however, were making their way back to the compound. She could soon see the once massive bonfire, now just low flames but mostly embers. She watched as a couple wolves grabbed wood and tossed it on, reigniting the flames. She felt Kouga started to lower himself, and she tightened her grip on his fur. Once he had laid down, she slowly released his fur and slid off of his back.

The miko watched as he made himself comfortable, having found a spot that would provide him just the right amount of warmth from the fire. Kagome giggled and moved closer to him. Kouga watched her, confused for a moment, before she plopped down on the ground and leaned against him. His heart nearly stopped as she made herself comfortable against his side and then looked up at him. Strawberries began to mix into her scent, as well as that new one that he still couldn't figure out.

"Is this alright?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper. He gave her a nod and was happy to see how pleased she was. Oddly enough though, the strawberries and sugary scent increased. He wasn't sure why she was so embarrassed, and while that _should_ be his main concern, it wasn't. It was frustrating to him that he couldn't figure out this new scent coming off of her. Sure, he could try to ignore it, but she was right next to him, and her scent was strong, for him at least. He could pick up even the tiniest shift in her scent, now that they've lived together for so long. He was in tune with her, and so she couldn't go ignored.

He did his best to put his concerns and thoughts to the side and simply enjoy the moment. He rested his head on his paws and curled himself around Kagome a touch more. She brought a hand up to his neck, since she couldn't quite reach his head, and began to pet him some more. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch the best he could without hurting her. The affectionate touch helped put him at ease, and he did his best to not let his beast read too much into it, even though that was a bit difficult.

The night soon began to peter out; everyone mostly eating the fresh kills or warming themselves by the fire. It wasn't long before Kagome fell asleep, and once Kouga took notice of that, he shifted back into his human form and picked her up. He then carried her off into one of the buildings. He brought her to his room and gently laid her down on the floor as he worked to get the futon ready. Once it was all done up, he picked her up again and gingerly laid her down on the futon. He grabbed a couple blankets, tucked her in, and then quietly exited the room. He smiled to himself and brushed a hand over his head, slicking back any flyaway hairs. That woman was going to be the death of him.

 **..::YatM::**..

Kagome groaned and leaned back against the sofa as Sango laughed and gloated next to her. The miko hid her face in her hands and she was _this close_ to smacking her best friend. "Look, we both know you were right this whole time, but that's no reason for you to gloat!" Kagome whined.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to disagree with you there, Kagome." she teased, winking at the miko. Kagome uncovered her face to stick her tongue out at Sango, which caused her to laugh more. Kagome just couldn't win today it seemed.

First, she finds herself waking up in Kouga's old room, Kamelia kept giving her knowing looks, and of course she had to visit Sango to pick up Shippou, and tell her everything, and now she was never going to hear the end of it. Kagome was _tired_ and she didn't want to deal with a Sango right now.

"This was a bad idea." she frowned.

"Nooooo!" Sango reached out for Kagome as the miko started to get up and leave. She pulled Kagome back onto the couch and into a tight embrace. "You know I just need to tease you a little."

"You call this a little?"

"Okay.. maybe a lot, but that's beside the point! I'm happy for you, and I think you should go for it!"

Kagome frowned as she contemplated this. She wasn't so sure. "I mean, what if he doesn't feel the same? It would make living together a bit awkward after that, and I don't really think the timing is right as of right now. There's a lot going on, a lot of important, _serious_ , things."

Sango groaned, throwing her head back dramatically. "You've got to be kidding me with this, Kagome. It's so _obvious_ he's into you!"

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "How so?" She was skeptical, and it was understandably so. She didn't have the best track record with love..

"Just think about everything he's done for you! He's bent over backwards for you, giving you guys more time with Shippou when he should've been taken away, protecting you from Inuyasha, hell, _putting up with_ Inuyasha and all his antics. He could've left at any point by now, but he's stayed by your side. He comforts you and does a lot of small things for you, like having food ready when you come home from training every night." Kagome blushed at that. "That boy is into you, and I'm sure if you told him, he'd be _thrilled_!" Sango placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder, hoping to reassure the miko.

Kagome took in a deep breath and slowly released it. "You really think so?" she asked, nipping her lower lip.

"Honey, I _know_ so." Kagome let out a laugh at that and Sango joined her. Their laughter soon died down and Sango pulled Kagome in for a hug. "I'm not going to push you and tell you to go tell him _right now,_ but I'm here to support you for whenever you feel you're ready to tell him. I may not be there in person, but I'll be there in spirit." the slayer whispered softly.

The miko smiled softly and leaned into her friend's hold, wrapping her arms around Sango and hugging her back. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Sango."

"Die, probably."

Kagome laughed heartily at that. "Yeah, I probably would." The two giggled for a little while over that before they carried on with their conversation, moving to other topics.

They hung out for hours, Shippou finally waking up and joining them sometime in the midst of their conversation. Before too long, Kagome felt the need to return home. She hugged Sango and they made plans to hang out again soon, and maybe that time work on some more wedding planning. And with that, Kagome left her best friend's apartment, Shippou in her arms, hopped on her bike, placed Shippou in her basket, and made her way back home.

It was starting to get a bit chilly out, as fall would be starting soon. Kagome was grateful for the change in weather, as she hated the heat of summer. She felt like she wouldn't hate it so much if it weren't for the humidity, which was awful. But now? It was the _perfect_ temperature. She could still wear shorts, but she wasn't sweating to death. Instead, her skin had a slight chill to it as the wind bit her exposed skin. It felt _fantastic_. Her smile widened as she continued to bike down the street, Shippou giggling as the wind breezed past them.

There was something throwing her off that day, however, and that was the fact that she was down a training day. It worked out that Kikyo had plans for today, but Kagome couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that she would only get two days this week. She would try and see if she could get an extra day next week, but she felt like she would be scolded for working herself too hard by both Sango and Kouga. She didn't want to put up with that.

Thankfully, it wasn't too long before she reached the complex. She parked her bike and locked it up before making her way up the stairs, Shippou running past her and making her laugh. She went over to the door and unlocked it, stepping inside and closing the door behind them. "I'm home." she called out, Shippou soon following suit, even though they knew the apartment was empty. It was just a force of habit.

As soon as Shippou's shoes were off, he bolted into the living area and was turning the TV on. Kagome giggled as she set their shoes to the side and soon followed him in.

"Are you hungry Shippou?" she asked, already making her way into the kitchen, as she had a feeling she knew his answer.

"Yes!" His eyes were still focused on the TV and Kagome rolled her eyes, a huge grin on her face.

She went over to the fridge and looked through what they had. She didn't really feel like cooking, so maybe some sandwiches would work well for now. She should text Kouga and ask if he wants to get take out tonight. Her cheeks warmed at the thought of the wolf and she shook her head, as if the physical movement would rid herself of her thoughts.

She chewed the inside of her cheek as she pulled out lunch meat and grabbed bread out of the bread box and set about making sandwiches for her and Shippou. Kagome needed time to sort through her feelings. It was all new to her, and even though Sango had reassured her hours earlier, she just wasn't 100% sure about it all. Though that was probably her anxiety speaking.

Letting out a small huff, she did her best to focus all of her attention on making their lunch. She knew that hyper-focusing on tasks wasn't a great solution, but she needed _something_ to distract her from herself. Repression was the best course of action, in her mind at least. It wasn't long before she was done with their lunch, and then set about slicing up a couple apples, as an added snack. Once that was done, she brought their food out and joined Shippou in front of the TV.

They sat and watched his favorite show while they ate, but once their lunch was finished, she had him turn off the TV. Shippou was a little upset at first, but at hearing they would be going out to play later, he calmed down. He dashed off to their room to go get dressed for the park while Kagome sat on the couch. She pulled out her phone and nipped her lower lip as she stared at the screen. It was open to her texts with Kouga and she tried to work up the courage to message him. It wasn't a big deal, she was just going to ask about dinner… Nothing's changed.

Except everything has.

She cursed feelings, wondering why she had to have them in the first place. Were they even necessary? Who needed feelings these days? She let out a huff, and quickly typed out a message to him.

 **I was thinking about take out for dinner. Does that sound alright to you?**

That sounded good… She hit the send button, then locked her phone and put it back into her pocket. A blush stained her cheeks red and she buried her face in her hands. Gods, the more she thought about it, they were already sort of like a couple; the texts they sent, the way they acted around each other. Gods, it was so embarrassing! How had she not seen it before? These thoughts were forced from her mind as she heard Shippou barrel down the hallway. She sucked in a deep breath and flashed the kit a warm smile and rose from the couch. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, but she decided to give it a minute before she answered. Well, she didn't really _have_ a choice, as Shippou was already heading for the door. Kagome laughed and followed behind him, trying her best to get him to calm down. They were soon out the door and she finally checked the message as she was locking up the apartment.

 **Sounds good. Anything in particular you would like me to pick up?**

She chewed her lip, clutching the keys in her hand for a moment and idly tapping the side of her phone. _Come on Kagome, it's not this difficult!_

 **Whatever you'd like!** ( ´ ω ` )

Was that good? Did it sound too eager? As she tried to figure out if the message was good or not, while also reprimanding herself for thinking too much about this, her finger slipped and hit the send button. She had to resist the urge to groan. Well, it was too late now. With a soft sigh, she turned to an excitedly bouncing Shippou, who was heading to the stairs. She shoved her phone into her pocket and chased after him. She could worry about all of this _feeling_ nonsense later…


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Tension

An update? So quickly after the last? In my house? It's more likely than you think.

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The evening had been _torture_ , and Kagome never thought she'd be so happy to leave the house and get some training done. She had to try and compose herself around Kouga in a way she never had before, and it was exhausting. She knew she should just tell him and get it out of the way, and she _knew_ Sango was right and that he probably felt the same way about her, but there was just this nagging voice in the back of her mind that told her otherwise. She sighed as she reached the foot of the stairs and started making her way up. She just needed a distraction; something calming and could help relieve this tension she was feeling.

She quickly made it to the top of the stairs, only slightly out of breath. She was used to climbing long temple stairs. She had been out of practice for a while, but she was regaining her endurance thanks to her sessions with Kikyo. She frowned slightly as she looked back towards the stairs. She should visit home soon… she just needed to find some time. She turned back towards the shrine to clear the thoughts from her mind. She was a woman on a mission, and she wasn't going to get distracted. She walked around towards the back and had her usual greeting with Kikyo. She set her things down on the ground near one of the pillars, as per usual, and then they started their training.

Kagome wasn't really sure what all she had left to learn, as Kikyo never mentioned anything about it. But even if she did learn everything she needed to know about her powers, she would still come by on the weekends to train. It never hurt to practice, after all, and she was going to need to have a good grasp on her powers for when she fully entered the medical field. Kikyo snapped her out of her thoughts as she began to speak.

"You have a lot of reiki to wield.. even more than myself. You have potential to be a very powerful miko. We just need to start stretching it out and seeing how far you can reach with it. So just start off with a simple scan of your surroundings and see how far out you can go."

Kagome nodded and gathered her reiki up, forming it in a ball deep in her chest before releasing it out from her in a pulse, almost like a sound wave. She screwed her eyes shut as she focused on stretching it out. She could sense the plants, animals, people, a couple youkai and hanyous as well, all just going about their day. The auras of the youkai and hanyous were like beacons on a radar. Of course, with her reiki pulsed out she could also sense Kikyo next to her, a pink blip on the mental map she was painting. As her reiki stretched itself thin, things became a little less clear. When it finally reached its limit, she felt a tingle of _something_ on the outer edge of her perimeter, but she couldn't catch what it was before her reiki fizzled out. Her eyebrows furrowed together. She wanted to pulse out her energy once more, just to try and figure out what that was. It felt familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it. The only thing that prevented her from doing so was she knew her reiki wouldn't be able to reach it.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked over at Kikyo. The miko smiled at her, and Kagome's chest swelled at the look of approval. "Very good, it seems you can stretch it out pretty far before it gives up on you." she said. "With a bit more training, we could probably get you to extend your radius without expelling excess reiki."

Kagome nodded enthusiastically and Kikyo let out a soft chuckle. From there, Kikyo put Kagome through the wringer, essentially putting her through endurance training. She forced Kagome to push herself to her limits to see how much she could put out in each arrow, punch, or kick. Several hours passed and Kagome finally dropped to the ground, sweating and panting. Thankfully, with fall starting to approach, there was a cool breeze that chilled her skin. She leaned back on her hands as she tried to catch her breath, her entire body aching.

Kikyo looked her over and closed her eyes as she turned away. "Let's call it a day." she said.

Kagome's eyes snapped open. "Wh-What? Why?" she asked.

"You're exhausted Kagome. I can only push you so much; you don't want to expend all of your reiki at once." she said.

"But-!" Kikyo turned to glare at her and Kagome pressed her lips shut. Yeah, she couldn't argue with that look. She let out a sigh and picked herself up off the ground to gather her things. "Thank you, Kikyo." The miko simply nodded and set about cleaning up the training area. Kagome frowned as she looked around. It was still bright outside, and it felt odd to be leaving. She wanted to continue to distract herself from her thoughts, but it seemed the universe had other plans for her.

She let out another sigh and gathered up her bag and water bottle, taking a large swig of the liquid before closing the cap and leaving Sanko Shrine. She let out a small huff as she reached the bottom of the steps, her chest rising and falling a bit faster than normal. She took in a deep breath, slowly let it out, and then began to walk down the street.

Kagome was... _disappointed_ to say the least. She was looking forward to this and was hoping to make up for missing yesterday. Her fingers tightened around her bag. She wanted a distraction... She let out a forlorn sigh. She was sure she would be grateful for this break tomorrow, as her muscles wouldn't be as sore as they would've been if they kept the full day. Her thoughts drifted, thinking of her bed, how soft and welcoming it was.

 _Other things at home were soft and welcoming as well..._

Her cheeks burned and she took a swig of water. Kouga was going to be the death of her. She was crushing this hard? _Really?_ Not that it was all that shocking.. he was a good person. She enjoyed him, enjoyed his company, enjoyed everything about him.

The water did nothing to cool the heat rising in her body. Gods... she would need to take a cold bath when she got home, _anything_ to calm her down at this point. _How ridiculous... acting like a high schooler..._ she thought bitterly to herself. Her cheeks puffed out in frustration. There was no reason for her to get all embarrassed just _thinking_ about the wolf! She was an adult, there wasn't any reason for her to be acting so.. so...

Childish.

In love.

 _In love?_ Her cheeks were aflame and she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, pressing her hands against them. When had her simple feelings turned into love? Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could hear Inuyasha mocking her. She rolled her eyes, the self-induced annoyance cooling her cheeks somewhat.

She needed a distraction...

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and slowly let it out. She heard a distant rumble, and slowly, she opened her eyes. Was that a truck or thunder? She looked around, trying to find the source. There were no clouds in the sky... at least not any that suggested rain, as far as she could tell. It was then that a strong wind slammed into her, catching her off guard and almost knocking her over. The clouds above started to move swiftly, and when she looked behind her, she could see dark clouds rolling up. Deep, dark clouds that made her hair stand on end. Was it supposed to rain today?

She could see the rain approaching, pouring buckets, and there was lightning dancing in the folds and curls of the black clouds. It would've been beautiful if she didn't have this sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She swallowed a lump in her throat and started backing away. She soon spun on her heel and was bolting down the sidewalk. This only seemed to make the wind pick up. It whipped her hair around, strands smacking against her cheek and leaving a stinging pain. She ignored it in favor of finding a place to hide.

The storm soon caught up to her and Kagome was instantly drenched. She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk once more, her head whipping around frantically, searching, _desperate._ Lightning struck too close and she screeched, jumping away. The loud roll of thunder was quick to follow. Tears welled in her eyes as a figure stepped out of the shadows of a nearby alley.

A youkai.

 _The_ youkai.

Her blood ran cold and her heart sank into her stomach. He stepped further into her vision, a wicked grin on his reptilian face. Kagome tried her best to compose herself. She schooled her face, blinked back her tears, and glared at the youkai. Her fingers flexed at her sides, pooling her reiki into her fingertips.

Another shadow stepped out and her heart skipped a beat. She could tell he was another youkai, and his aura was powerful, more so than the youkai he placed himself next to. Her muscles tensed, adrenaline coursing through her and telling her to flee. If she ran, she would certainly die. She had to fight.

"That was quite foolish of you to send out your reiki like that. So much all at once; you lit up like a beacon." That was the new youkai. He was more human in looks, his hair long and black, braided at the base of his skull.

"What do you want from me?" She was surprised that her voice came out so strong, she was almost certain it would sound meek and scared.

"You interrupted our business, and you harmed my brother. I can't let that slide." he said, his mouth twisting into a wicked smirk that made her heart sink further. Her breath came out shaky, and she blamed it on how cold the rain made her, certainly not the fear welling up inside her.

The reptilian looking youkai pointed an accusing finger at her. "I was demoted because of you! I worked hard to climb up the ranks and because of _you_ making me fail my mission, I've lost the respect I once had! How could a powerful youkai like me let a _child_ escape?"

Kagome's fear was soon replaced with rage. "He's just a child!" she screamed. Then she threw the blast of reiki that she had been channeling in her hand. Her training with Kikyo really helped; she was able to take control of her reiki, even after it had expelled from her body, and she sent the blast directly toward the salamander youkai's face, specifically right in the mouth. She beamed, proud of herself as the pink flames of her purification powers started trying to purify him. He screamed in agony and his brother turned to look at him, eyes wide and all signs of cockiness gone. "Manten!"

 _Manten_... She did her best to commit this name to memory.

The other youkai turned back to look at her and the rage in his eyes made her gulp. A lump formed in her throat as her heart dropped to her feet. Her skin crawled and all confidence she had was instantly evaporated under his gaze.

"You'll pay for hurting my brother." His voice was a low, threatening growl and she could feel tears well in her eyes. He raised up a spear, Kagome wondered how she hadn't noticed it before, and her small train of thought was cut off as quickly as it began when he pointed it in her direction. She heard the familiar sound of lightning crackling and coming to life as a ball of yellow formed between the tips of his spear.

She drew reiki around herself. She wasn't sure if a forcefield was something she could manage, if even at all. She and Kikyo hadn't gone over anything defensive and Kagome was silently cursing herself for not asking sooner. Though it's not like she could do much anyway; she was spent from training, as Kikyo said. _Gods... why this? Why now?_ Her tears finally spilled and she screwed her eyes shut as she waited for death to come.

Until a howl ripped through the air and she heard a cry of pain. She opened her eyes in time to see a large white wolf attacking the youkai, causing his blast of lightning to go into the sky. Was that? She squinted to try and get a better look, but by now her reiki had fizzled out and Manten looked to her with pure rage. He glared at her for a couple more seconds before going to try and help his brother.

"Don't worry Hiten! I'll help you!"

 _Hiten..._ Kagome was grateful that the youkai was distracted with his brother's well-being. She started to move her foot backwards hoping to slip out unseen, but something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Silvery grey and black. She fully turned her head and watched as a second wolf squeezed their way through the alleyway. They seemed to have a bit of a difficult time, but eventually they broke through the alley. The wolf charged towards her, and once they were close enough, she could recognize them.

"Ginta?" she asked, confused by his presence. She looked from him to the wolf fighting off the thunder youkai. _If he's Ginta then that must be Hakkaku..._ Ginta came skidding to a halt beside her. He quickly lowered himself and Kagome instantly knew what he meant. She wasted no time climbing onto his back. Thankfully, Ginta was smaller than Kouga, so it was a bit more manageable for her to clamber her way up.

His fur was soaked, though she supposed she was as well. Either way, this wouldn't make for a comfortable ride. As soon as she was on his back and had a solid grip on his fur, Ginta was up and taking off. Kagome buried her face in his fur, doing her best to save herself from the pelting rain. She had a death grip on him, and somewhere in the back of her mind, she was afraid she was hurting him. But she didn't really dwell on it, too focused on trying to hold tight so she wouldn't go flying off of him.

The rain was relentless, and they hadn't been running long before she heard thunder crack nearby. Her heart picked up pace and she heard Ginta whine underneath her. She wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure her or if he was scared too.

Her grip tightened as she summoned the courage to look behind them. She lifted her head up and kept her eyes closed as the rain beat down on her face. She turned around and opened her eyes, and she swore her heart stopped. Hiten was on their tail, and he looked furious. She knew this image of him would be seared into her nightmares for years. His glare made her blood turn to ice, and the burning, fiery red of his eyes terrified her. He was flying along with the rolling black storm clouds, and slowly, he raised his spear up.

"G-Ginta! GINTA!" Kagome's voice cracked, terror shaking her to her core. Ginta let out a small growl and turned sharply into an alley, just as a bolt of lightning was shot at them. They ran through the alley, taking more sharp turns and doing their best to lose the thunder youkai. Kagome knew that if she could get a shot in, they'd have an easier time of getting away. However, she didn't want to take the risk of falling off Ginta's back, and she sure as hell wasn't going to tell him to stop, or slow down. She also didn't want to risk building up her reiki in her hands while she was holding on so tightly to the wolf below her. It was bad enough she was digging her nails into his flesh, he didn't need to be purified on top of it. She nipped her lip and looked ahead, grateful that the buildings surrounding them helped to reduce the rain, it gave her time to focus.

Kagome tried to come up with some sort of plan, _any_ sort of plan. She was coming up short, and all of the ideas she had were too risky. She was close to telling Ginta to stop so she could hit Hiten with something when a howl resounded through the air. It was loud and long, hanging in the air for several moments. She heard Ginta whine beneath her, and she instantly grew worried over Hakkaku's safety.

"Ginta, we have to help him." She watched as his ears flicked backward, then flattened against his head. He showed no sign of stopping or turning around. Thunder rumbled threateningly above them. "Ginta." Nothing. Tears sprung in her eyes once more. " _Ginta!_ " He warbled, and the noise sounded sad and it broke her heart. "We can't just leave him! He needs help!"

Ginta huffed and took another sharp turn around a corner. He then came to an abrupt stop and Kagome almost got flung off. Her nails dug further into his flesh and she glared down at him. "We need to turn around, or at the very least not stop!" she hissed. He simply laid down and Kagome frowned. The rain was letting up, so maybe Hiten had lost their trail. She grumbled and slid off his back. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Ginta shifted.

He looked tired, and scared, and maybe a little bit angry. "Hakkaku will be fine. That was him calling for help. Others will show up!" he said, voice hushed.

"Why can't _we_ go? He needs us!"

"Because Kouga wouldn't want that!" Ginta snapped. Kagome's cheeks flushed despite herself, and Ginta noticed an odd change in her scent.

"Screw what Kouga wants! If Hakkaku is in serious danger and he needs help, we're the closest ones around! We should help him!" she argued.

"There's more of the pack around, I promise Kagome. Besides, Kouga said we need to keep you safe at all costs!" After it was said out loud, Ginta shut his lips tightly and his eyes widened. Kagome eyed him suspiciously.

"What do you mean by that?"

He looked away guiltily. It was a couple moments before he let out a sigh and ran a hand through his short silvery locks. "He just wants you to be safe, especially after all that's been happening lately. We don't mean to intrude.. just..." he looked up at her with a pleading look in his eyes, it vaguely reminded her of a dog begging for food. This didn't stick long in her thoughts, however, as a more pressing thought dragged its way to the forefront of her mind.

"He's been having me followed?" His eyes flicked away from her gaze and her eyes narrowed dangerously. Kagome turned on her heel then and started to walk away from the wolf. Ginta's eyes widened and he scrambled to follow her. His hand reached out and he grabbed her by the arm, holding tight. "Let me go!" she hissed, still trying to keep quiet in case Hiten was lurking nearby.

"If Kouga knew I let you go back into that, he'd kill me." She looked the beta over and could see the fear and worry in his eyes. She licked her lips and frowned.

"You're sure someone is coming to help him?" He nodded in response and she let out a sigh.

It was then that another howl rang through the air, high pitched and quick. She glanced over at Ginta and saw a look of relief cross his features. She would have to take it, as long as nothing terrible happened to Hakkaku, or any other members of the pack for that matter, because of her. She wouldn't be able to bear it.

"Let's go.." she whispered. Ginta looked at her then, a sympathetic look on his face. She looked away, not wanting to see it.

Ginta shifted back into his wolf form and laid down for her. She climbed on, somber. His fur was still damp, and she was still soaked to the bone, her body starting to tremble now, seeing that the adrenaline was out of her system and her body was finally able to register the fact she was _freezing_. Maybe going back home now wouldn't be such a bad thing...

Once she was all settled, Ginta stood up and then took off, heading for the apartment. As they ran through the streets, people looked on in shock, and Kagome couldn't blame them. Sure, youkai were still relatively prominent in Japan, but you hardly ever saw them in their true forms. It was still a shock whenever you saw one. She could hear more howls pick up in the distance and she hoped that everything was okay..

Before too long, they were arriving at the apartment and her phone was going crazy in her pocket. She slipped off of Ginta's back and once she was steady on her feet, she pulled her phone out. She struggled with unlocking it, her hands trembling violently. Once she finally managed to open it, she saw a flood of messages from Sango and several missed calls. She opened up her texts with the slayer and frowned at how panicked they all sounded. She typed out a quick message, essentially saying she was fine and they would talk later. She almost slipped it back into her pocket, but thought better of it, opening her bag instead and putting it in there. She turned to look at Ginta then, who had shifted back and was looking at her anxiously. She frowned, but didn't say anything. She walked past him and went up the stairs to the apartment. He followed behind her, and they were soon stepping foot into the apartment.

She closed and locked the door behind them and stepped further into the apartment. She looked back and saw Ginta looking around curiously, but he was also fidgeting and looked extremely anxious. "Are you alright?" Her voice made him jump and he looked at her, eyes wide for a couple seconds before he looked away.

"Yeah. It's just.. umm.. well..." Kagome stood there, patiently waiting for him to gather his thoughts. "Well, it's my first time coming into the apartment. It's nice but..." He looked down at the floor for a couple seconds before his eyes snapped back up to look at her. "You know how Kouga's the alpha? Well.. this is his space and.. other pack members don't.. really.. go into the alpha's space, not without them around, you know?" She didn't, but she nodded anyway. Ginta returned her nod with one of his own. They stood there silently for a couple moments, looking at each other awkwardly. Kagome had been sure he was going to say more, but it seemed like his explanation was finished.

"Alright, well.. I'm going to change. I'm sure Kouga wouldn't mind if you wanted to borrow his clothes so you can be more comfortable." she suggested.

"No, I'm fine. I'll uh... wait."

She nodded slowly, and then made her way down the hall to her room. She grabbed a change of clothes and then made her way to the bathroom, wanting to take a bath to help warm her up and also calm her down. She was still anxious about Hakkaku's well-being, scared from the interaction with the thunder youkai, and angry about Kouga having her followed. It was a strange mix of emotions that she just wanted to melt away for a short while in a warm, scented bath. So, she got the water started and stripped down. Once the tub was full, she added in her melon and lemon scented oil and stepped into the tub, sat down, and stretched out. She sunk down into the water and had a passing thought to sink all the way down and just drown. She pushed the intrusive thought from her mind and, instead, closed her eyes and let the warm water relax her muscles.

Kagome stayed in the tub until the water started to cool. Once it did, she climbed out and pulled the plug. The water started to drain, and she toweled herself off. Now all dry, aside from her hair which was still damp and dripping at the ends, she got dressed. They were comfortable clothes: a pair of sweatpants and a band T-shirt she had lying around. She brushed out her hair while she was in there, not wanting to step back out into the awkwardness she knew Ginta would provide. She just wanted a moment of peace. Just one...

Once she was finally done in the bathroom, she stepped out into the hallway and made her way into the living area. She was pulling her hair over her shoulder and stopped mid-motion when she spotted a familiar figure.

Kouga.

A flurry of emotions slammed into her at once as soon as she spotted him, sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. Ginta was standing nearby, and his eyes caught hers. He made a strange face and she could feel the anxiety rolling off him in waves. Kouga looked up at Ginta then, and seeing that his beta's gaze was directed elsewhere, he followed it. As soon as his eyes met hers, he shot up from the couch.

"Kagome!" He moved to walk towards her, and that's when her body decided what emotion it wanted to feel.

She pointed an accusing finger at him. "You stop right there." And he did, his eyes widening in shock and confusion. Ginta wished he could phase into walls. Kouga opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "How long have you been having me followed around like I'm some child?" Realization dawned on his face, and Kouga had to resist the urge to glare at Ginta, who was now sidestepping his way to the door, his only escape. Kagome could see him move out of the corner of her eye and didn't say anything. This wasn't his fault.

"Look, Kagome-"

"I don't want excuses, I want _answers._ " she practically growled. Her hand lowered to her side and she took a couple steps forward, threateningly, or at least as threatening as she could be.

His gaze softened with a sad look that made her heart stutter. They both faintly heard the door click open and just as quickly close. Kouga let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. That's when she registered it was down, loose from its usual ponytail. Her palms began to sweat. "It started off when it all first happened. I just told everyone to look out for you if they happened to pass you by. But once things started getting more serious, mainly after your umbrella showed back up, I had at least two wolves follow you at all times, unless I was with you. Just to be sure.."

"Do you know how bad that sounds? That's an invasion of my privacy, Kouga!"

"I know! I know... I'm sorry.. I just... I couldn't bear if anything happened to you, Kagome." Sango's words from yesterday came to the forefront of her mind then, but she shoved them aside by taking another step forward and gritting her teeth.

"I can handle myself, you know. I've been training, I've been _improving!_ I don't need to be followed around like some helpless animal! And now others are hurt because of me!" Tears began to well in her eyes and were quick to spill over. They felt large and heavy and came on quickly, it shocked her slightly, but she continued, too engulfed in rage. "Because of your _stupid_ rule, or order, or.. _whatever_ there are others out there fighting off dangerous youkai to keep me safe and I can't even _help them!_ " A sob escaped her then and she felt her legs shake, threatening to give out on her. She dug the heels of her hands into her eyes, as if the action would shove her tears back where they came from. Her head lowered slightly as her body began to shake.

"I just stood there... I thought I would be ready but.. but... I wasn't.. I c-ould..n't..." She heaved in a deep, shaky breath and her legs finally gave out. She collapsed to the floor, knees landing first, and as soon as she was down, she curled up in on herself. She sobbed, loudly, and the force of her crying made her entire body tremble. It was all too much to take in at once: the attack, the escape, finding out she was being followed everywhere not only by the thunder youkai, but now the wolves as well, and _Kouga._ It was just too much.

She felt Kouga approach her and sit down next to her. He began to rub her back, softly, smoothly, _comforting_. She wanted to be mad at him, but she knew she couldn't. He was looking out for her safety. _He comforts you and does a lot of small things for you._ She couldn't help but recall what Sango said to her as Kouga sat there, comforting her after she had yelled at him. She leaned into his side, seeking more of his comfort and he gave it to her. He wrapped his arm around her the best he could, rubbing her shoulder and bringing up his other hand to continue rubbing her back.

"I was so scared..." she whispered, a hiccup soon following.

"I know.." he replied, voice low.

She sat up then and turned toward him, his hands falling away from her in the process.. The sight of her broke his heart. Her face was red and her eyes were puffy. Tear tracks stained her face, and more were still coming. Another choked sob escaped her as she moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in the crook of his neck and sitting sideways in his lap. It embarrassed her somewhat, but she needed his comfort, needed _him_ , needed the feeling of _home._

Home...

Her arms tightened around him, one of her hands tangling in his hair. It was soft. It was a couple moments before Kouga returned the embrace and held her just as tightly. She could feel his chin press into her shoulder and press his head against hers. She let out a shaky breath, slowly relaxing in his hold. All the tension that had built up inside her was slowly released as he took one of his hands and began to massage his knuckles into her back, loosening up her knots. Her tears began to slow, and before too long she stopped crying altogether. She was left feeling exhausted, both emotionally and physically, and while a part of her was telling her to go to sleep, the larger, majority of her wanted to stay with Kouga. So, she listened to the majority and further relaxed in his hold. She felt like she could fall asleep like this, though she fought the feeling, not wanting to embarrass herself further.

"I'm sorry, Kagome." His voice broke the silence that had built around the two. It surprised her somewhat. His voice was low and deep, but clearer than ever. She figured it was because he was right next to her ear. "I didn't mean for it to feel like I was invading your privacy. I just.. didn't want anything bad to happen to you. You're... _important_ to me, Kagome."

Her breath hitched and her skin felt like it was on fire. She tried to find her voice, but there was a lump in her throat and even if there wasn't.. what would she say? Instead, she simply tightened her grip on him. His knuckles continued to massage her back, now at her shoulder blades. She removed her face from the crook of his neck and looked blearily at the wall behind him. Once she shifted, he buried his face into her neck, effectively switching their positions. She could feel him smile softly against her skin and it made her flush more. She wondered, briefly, what was running through his mind right now. A part of her wanted to tell him how much she cared about him, how she had feelings for him.. but she didn't think it would be a good idea with how she had yelled at him not too long ago. They both already went through emotional whiplash with her being angry one moment and crying the next. He didn't need a confession on top of that. He deserved better..

He deserved better than _her_.

The thought made fresh tears spring to her eyes and brought a frown to her face. She blinked back the tears, not wanting them to spill over her own intrusive thoughts, ones she's been having more and more of lately. She let out a small huff and just leaned her head against his and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you like that. So much has happened, especially today.." her grip on him tightened, "and I just..." She bit her lower lip as she tried to gather her thoughts, Kouga let her take her time. "I don't... I don't like feeling so helpless. And I guess... finding out you had some of the pack follow me felt like.. you didn't trust me to handle myself. It.. hurt." She felt him frown slightly and his massaging stopped. "I appreciate your concern though.. it means a lot. Thank you." she whispered, pressing her forehead against his shoulder, a soft smile on her face. She felt his frown slowly stretch into a smile and he started to rub his thumb into her spine. His other hand moved up from around her waist to tangle in her hair, running his claws through it. _Gods_ she really could fall asleep like this...

"I _do_ trust you Kagome. I just… I need you to be okay." She nodded, or at least she nodded as best as she could with her forehead pressed against his shoulder. He chuckled slightly and started working out another knot in her back. They sat like that, quietly, for what felt like hours. She wasn't how long it had been when she finally pulled away from him, too exhausted to stay awake any longer. She slid off his lap, fighting the blush that threatened to stain her cheeks.

"Shippou is still with Sango.. and she's probably freaking out. Would you mind..?"

"Yeah, I'll go take care of it." he replied, giving her a warm smile. It soothed her frayed nerves and she returned his smile with her own. It was warm, soft, and a bit sleepy. "You go on and rest. Ginta should be outside, so if you need him, he'll be there." She nodded and slowly got up from the floor, with a little help from Kouga. From there, she made her way down the hall to her room. She reached her hand out for the doorknob and looked back. Kouga was still there, watching her. She smiled once more and gave a small wave, and he did the same. She then entered her room, closed the door, and promptly collapsed on her bed.


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Home

Sup?

* * *

Kagome and Kouga were sitting at the table early the next morning, a cup of coffee in front of both of them. She had her hands wrapped around the mug, letting the warmth seep into her fingers. They were discussing what they should do, or _trying_ to at least. It was very early in the morning, after all, and Kagome was still exhausted, not really having the best rest. She had nightmares throughout the night, so she didn't get much sleep, thus the coffee she slowly brought up to her lips and took a long drink of.

"I think maybe now would be a good time for me to go home.. just for a couple days." She eyed Kouga's reaction carefully. His arms were crossed over his chest and he looked at her with a hint of concern. "I've been meaning to visit my family anyway.. and I highly doubt they would follow me all the way to Tokyo."

Kouga frowned slightly. "Can I at least send someone with you? Just to be safe?"

Kagome bristled, her lips thinning into a straight line and her grip on the coffee mug tightened. "I really don't think that's necessary. Again, I appreciate the concern but I'm just... I'm not comfortable being followed around like that."

His frown deepened and he let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, sorry I just..."

"I know.."

A bit of an awkward silence settled between the two of them. Kagome averted her eyes as she took another slow sip of coffee. Kouga reached for his mug and took a sip as well. Kagome set her mug down and cupped her hands around it once more, staring at the wall for a couple seconds before turning back to face Kouga. "I _was_ considering bringing Shippou with me, but he starts at his new school tomorrow and I don't wanna delay him any longer." She waited for him to look at her, and when he did, she smiled at him. "And I don't want you to be lonely... and I trust you to take care of him."

He returned her smile with one of his own. "Yeah, of course I will." Her smile widened and his softened. However, in the back of his mind, he was trying to figure out her scent. There was, of course, fear, sadness, and a slight hint of anger in her scent, but that sugary sweet smell was there too, something that would spike at, what seemed like, random. He still couldn't figure out any context to this scent, and it was a constant mix in her natural scent now. It's not that he minded the change, it smelled good, _great_ even, but he was just frustrated that he couldn't figure it out.

It was then that Kagome's phone buzzed on the table next to her. She jumped slightly, not expecting it, and then reached for the device. It was from Kikyo. She unlocked her phone and read the message, her smile dropping into a smaller one. "Alright, Kikyo isn't upset with me for canceling today. That gives me the day to get ready and pack, I guess."

Kouga nodded. He didn't want her to go, but he knew this would be best, until things calmed down somewhat. Despite this, it didn't make it any easier for him to let her go. Kagome rose from her spot at the table, drawing the wolf out of his thoughts. He looked up at her as she stretched, then snapped back into a normal standing position.

"I'm gonna go ahead and get started. Would you mind making Shippou some breakfast when he wakes up?" she asked.

"No, of course I don't mind." he replied, giving her a warm smile. She returned it with one of her own, that sugary smell increasing in the most intoxicating way. She then disappeared into the hallway, and he listened as her door opened and closed with a soft click.

He immediately brought his elbows up to rest on the table and buried his face in his hands. His beast was pacing, running laps in his head, gnashing its fangs and ready to taste blood. It was still all riled up from yesterday and kept _pushing_ him to do _something_. It didn't really seem to care what, as long as he either chose between chasing down the thunder youkai and making them wish they had never been born, or scent marking Kagome, finding _some way_ to claim her as his and thus ward off any and all other youkai. It was taking everything in him to control the beast, and this change in Kagome's scent wasn't helping. It just seemed to make things worse and he wasn't sure why.

His claws dug into his scalp, but he was careful to not draw blood; he didn't need Kagome worrying over him. She had bigger, more important things to worry about, like her safety. His wolf growled at him, urging him to keep her here. This was their den. This was safe. _She needed to be next to him at all times_.

Kouga held back the snarl that threatened to rip through his chest. There was no point in arguing with himself. The wolf would want one thing, and he would want another. What was most important at this point was doing what Kagome thought was best. He had hurt her and he needed to make up for that. So, he would do whatever she wanted. If she asked it of him, she could consider it done. He would do whatever it takes to make her happy, safe, and make up for the hurt he caused.

 **..::YatM::..**

Kagome and Kouga had just dropped Shippou off at school and were heading to the train station. It had been a bit teary, mostly on Kagome's end, watching Shippou go into the school building. Normally, the kit would've walked on his own to school, but Kagome had wanted to see him off on his first day, and also make sure he knew the way. Shippou was, of course, very sad that Kagome would be gone for a little while, but he had also been buzzing with excitement, eager to make friends, and thus had broken from the miko fairly easily. Kagome wasn't hurt by it, though; she knew how excited the kit had been to start school again. She knew it must be nice to get back to some semblance of normalcy.

Kouga had insisted on carrying her bags, even though she only had two and one was a roller and she could've easily dragged it behind them herself. However, she hadn't fought the wolf on it, knowing there was no point. They made their way to the train station in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't completely comfortable either. It was some kind of.. odd mix of the two. Kagome didn't want to open her mouth and possibly say something she'd regret before she went away for, at least, several days. Meanwhile, Kouga was distracted with her scent. He kept trying to pinpoint what this new smell was, but it muddied his senses in a way he's never experienced before. It made things a lot harder for him.. He wanted to talk to her, ask her what was on her mind, hoping it would help sort everything out, but he was scared. He didn't want to slip up again; he needed to stay on her good side and he _needed_ to make up for what he did.

They both let out a soft sigh at, relatively, the same time. They both had so much to say, but no way to articulate it. They both were at war with themselves and their emotions. They both wanted to stay with each other. They both were head over heels.

The train station was fast approaching, and Kagome felt a small spark of panic rise in her. She didn't want to leave, not just yet... She pulled her phone out of her pocket and released a small breath of relief. They had some time before her train arrived.

They made their way into the station and took a seat on a bench nearby. Kagome pulled her lower lip between her teeth, gnawing on it but taking care not to draw blood or cause any real damage. She had so much she wanted to say...

"Thank you." The words scared the both of them. Kagome certainly hadn't expected her mouth to act on its own accord.

Kouga looked down at her, a smile working its way onto his face. She could see the hint of nervousness hidden in it. "What for?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I... I dunno. I guess just... a mix of everything?" He raised an eyebrow and Kagome let out a weak laugh. She was going to have to use her words. "I know that I've been upset with you the past couple days, which I think is reasonable," she said, quick to defend her feelings even though she knew she didn't have to with him. He sat patiently and waited for her to continue. Kagome let out a small huff. "But, you've done a lot for me.. and I don't think I've ever properly thanked you for it."

Kouga went to open his mouth, but she was quick to stop him. "And don't you say, 'it's nothing', it's _not_ nothing. It..." Her eyes shifted away for a moment as she tried to fight the blush threatening to stain her cheeks. Strawberries began to weave into the growing sugary sweet smell. "It means a lot to me... _You-_ " She stopped herself there, sealing her lips shut and pulling her hand away from his arm and turning away from Kouga slightly. When had she reached out for him?

His eyes widened as his mind began to race. What... Was she about to...? Before he could open his mouth to speak, her train arrived. Kagome quickly shot up from the bench and gathered her bags. She started to walk away, but turned around with a wide smile, cheeks stained pink.

"And thank you for carrying my bags. I could've done it myself but... well.. Thank you." With a small wave, she stepped onto the train and he watched, still unable to move, still unable to speak, as the doors closed and the train began to leave. That sweet, sugary, _intoxicating_ smell lingered where she had been, lingered all around him. It was then that it all seemed to click. Did she... return his feelings? A huge grin started to spread across his face as he pieced it all together. He didn't want to get his hopes up, just in case he was wrong, but he was about 90% sure that Kagome felt the same way about him, and the wolf had never been happier.

 **..::YatM::..**

"So, you're running away?"

Kagome let out a sigh, tucking her phone between her cheek and shoulder as she adjusted her bag on her other shoulder. She had just gotten off the train when Sango called her and started _accusing her_ of running away from her problems.

"I'm not running away. I just need some time to think... and I need to see my family."

There was a small pause before the slayer replied, deadpanned, "So you're running away."

"I'll hang up on you, you know."

"Alright alright, fine. Jeeze..."

A smile worked its way onto her face and she let out a small chuckle. "Aren't you supposed to be catching criminals or something?" she teased.

"Not today, I have the day off." Sango sounded quite pleased and smug.

"That's great! Gives you some time to relax."

Sango hummed her agreement. "So, how long are you running away for?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. " _Again_ , I'm not running away, and I'm just going to be here for a couple of days, a week max."

"Well, it'll be nice to see your family and relax for a while."

"Yeah, it really will be. I'm gonna miss Shippou, but you know I can't take him from school."

"Yeah, I understand."

There was a small pause here and Kagome nibbled on her lower lip as she waited for the signal for the crosswalk. "So... can I talk to you about something? And don't you dare tease me about it either!"

"What is it Kagome?" To Sango's credit, she sounded genuinely concerned.

Kagome shifted her weight from one leg to the other as she tried to find her words. "So... Kouga walked me to the train station, of course, and.. well... I kind of... _almost_ confessed to him."

There was a pause and Kagome could just _see_ the smile that she knew was working its way onto her best friend's face. "Oh really?"

"You promised, Sango."

"I don't remember promising anything. I just asked what was wrong."

Kagome groaned, running a hand down her face as she crossed the street. "Sango _please_. Work with me here..."

"Alright alright. So, what happened?" she asked. Kagome was grateful that the slayer let it go.

Taking in a deep breath, Kagome then began to explain everything that happened over the past couple days, from the day of the attack to just about an hour or so ago. Sango stayed quiet for the most part as the miko explained, letting her get everything out and only providing sounds of confirmation. Kagome was grateful for that. Once she was done explaining, there was a bit of a pause. Kagome chewed on her lower lip nervously.

"Well…that certainly is quite… _eventful_." Sango finally said.

"Yeah.. It's been pretty crazy."

Sango hummed, and Kagome could tell that her best friend was deep in thought. "I'm going to see what I can do… put this new information in the case we have. I know you said you don't want me taking this one, but this is pretty serious Kagome. I think the department is going to need my skills on this one, regardless of what you wish of me."

Kagome frowned. She was afraid this would happen… She knew that Sango was even more stubborn than she was at times, so she knew there would be no point in arguing with her. The miko let out a sigh, stopping in front of the steps that led up to the shrine, her home. "Alright…. I know I can't stop you, just.. be _careful_ okay? They're dangerous… and I think there might be more than just them. Manten talked about getting demoted… So I don't know what's going on exactly, but it might be bigger than we initially thought."

"Did you tell anyone else this?"

" _Gods_ no. If I told Kouga he _**never**_ would've let me leave."

"That's fair… but you should probably let him know at some point. He's a wolf youkai after all. You know how protective they can be."

"I.. I don't actually."

There was a small pause before she heard Sango let out a small breath. "You remember how protective and jealous Inuyasha would get over you?" Kagome frowned, not really _wanting_ to remember, but she nodded, remembered she was on the phone and let out a hum of agreement. "Wolves are 10 times worse."

Kagome's frown deepened. "I see…." It certainly explained a lot.

"I don't believe he's reached that point with you yet, but if you do confess to him and you guys start dating, expect him to be worse than Inuyasha was. Just.. putting it out there so you know. And you know if you have any questions you can always ask me. It's not easy dating youkai."

"No kidding.."

"It'll be alright Kagome. I promise."

A small smile soon replaced her frown. "Thanks Sango. I'll talk to you later."

"Talk later."

And with that they hung up. Kagome stared at her phone screen for a couple moments before letting out a sigh, shoving the device in her pocket before turning her attention to the stairs in front of her. She was finally home… It felt like it had been years… She started to make her way up the steps; the trek was a bit longer than Sanko Shrine, but because she's had a lot of practice recently, with her training and all, she made the trip with ease. She was only slightly winded when she reached the top of the steps, wiping a bit of sweat off of her forehead with the sleeve of her cardigan.

The shrine looked just the same as it had last time she visited. A grin broke out across her face as she stepped forward, approaching the house. Gods she had missed home… Before she even reached the halfway point to the house, the door burst open and out stepped her grandpa, waving sage around.

"Begone, youkai!" Kagome snorted, some things never changed. He paused mid-action, squinting as he looked in her direction. "Kagome? Is that you? Why do you have a youkai aura around you, girl?" he asked, demanding and angry.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "It's good to see you too Grandpa." she replied, walking towards him. When she reached him, she bent down slightly to wrap her arms around him. He let out a huff and returned her hug. When she pulled away, she looked at the sage in his hand. "Grandpa… you didn't even light it? How are you supposed to do a smudge when you didn't even light it?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

His mouth opened as if to reply, then he closed it. He stood there for a couple moments before pointing accusingly at her. "Why haven't you come to visit sooner? We were all worried about you, you know!"

Kagome laughed heartily and walked past her grandfather, entering the house behind him. She could hear him calling after her, but she just rolled her eyes. He'd calm down in a moment. As she entered the kitchen, she saw her mother turn around from the sink to look at what was causing all the commotion. "Kagome! You're home! It's so good to see you!" She dried her hands quickly before approaching her daughter.

"Mama…" Kagome's eyes welled with tears as she met her mother halfway, the two enveloping each other in a tight embrace. "I've missed you so much, Mama…"

"I've missed you too, sweetie."

With one last squeeze, the two parted but still held each other at arm's length, smiling warmly at each other, her mother squeezing her arms gently, reassuringly. It made Kagome feel safe, happy, at _home_. A couple tears spill down her cheeks. Kagome could hear her grandpa shuffle in, muttering under his breath. She'd cheer him up later with dinner. "I have so much to tell you about…"


End file.
